Spot On: Cowichan Pasta

The best impulse purchase we made at the Downtown Winter Market in November was this stuff:

These babies were pillowy soft and you’d never know they were cooked from frozen in just three minutes.

Our only complaint was a bit of inconsistency in the filling. Some of the raviolis had a few bits of prawn while others had nearly whole ones. Even despite this, they were worth every penny of the $12 they cost and we can’t wait to try some of the other flavours. As either an appetizer or a dinner for two, it’s about as fancy as you can get in less than ten minutes.

I served ours with my curried corn sauce, which I’ll share with you now because it’s incredibly versatile. I must confess, however, that it wasn’t the best compliment to the raviolis. It kind of stole the show from the delicate, subtle flavour of West Coast spot prawns. Next time, I’ll take the advice Cowichan Pasta gave me on Twitter and serve their goods with just a good olive oil, a few thin slices of parmegiano reggiano and a good crack of black pepper.

This sauce is great as a stew based with chicken and veggies or drizzled over scallops, tilapia or snapper on some greens. My instincts were good–corn and seafood are usually a winning combination. I think it was the curry factor.

Curried Corn Sauce

2T olive oil

3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups corn kernels, raw

1 cup light coconut milk

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 T yellow curry powder (or more to taste)

1 t cumin

1 – 2 t honey, to taste

1/2 t salt

Fresh chopped herbs (we like cilantro and Italian parsley)

Puree 1 cup of corn kernels in food processor. Reserve half a cup of kernels.

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and onion and saute until softened and transculent. Stir in curry powder and cumin and continue to cook for 1 minute. Spices will become fragrant.

Add chicken broth and scrape up any bits from the pan. Add coconut milk, honey, and salt and bring to a simmer. Turn down to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Add the reserved corn kernels and simmer until they are heated through.

Tags: corn, curry, Food, pasta, Recipe, Vancouver Island