Chef Karla Hoyos developed this recipe while World Central Kitchen was responding to an earthquake in southern Haiti in 2021; it’s the epitome of adaptation. The team had to create recipes that included protein, vegetables, and starch all cooked together in one paella pan. The result shows no sign of the restrictions placed on its creation, which were: limited cold storage and just three paella pans to prepare 10,000 meals daily. This is an ingenious one-pot dish where the pasta is cooked in the richly spiced broth, so there’s no need to boil it beforehand. The combination of pasta starches and coconut milk makes for an extra creamy sauce, with meatiness from the fish and mussels. Karla only had access to frozen vegetables, which makes the recipe simple to execute, but feel free to chop some fresh carrots, zucchini, and cauliflower.

　　This recipe was excerpted from 'The World Central Kitchen Cookbook' by José Andrés. Buy the full book on Amazon.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 Tbsp. minced garlic

　　1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

　　1 (13.5-oz.) can full-fat coconut milk

　　2 Tbsp. curry powder

　　12 oz. mixed frozen vegetables

　　Kosher salt

　　¾ cup tomato paste

　　1 pound penne, rigatoni, farfalle, or fusilli pasta

　　2 pounds fish fillets (such as snapper, halibut, or grouper), cut into 1-inch cubes

　　1 pound mussels, scrubbed

　　½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

　　

Step 1

In a Dutch oven, combine the olive oil, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, curry powder, and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

　　

Step 2

Add the frozen vegetables and 1 teaspoon salt and return to a boil. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add the pasta, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom, and cook for 8 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Gently stir in the fish and mussels. Cover and cook until the pasta has absorbed all the liquid, the fish is cooked through and flaky, and the mussels have opened, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened. Season with salt to taste and serve sprinkled with cilantro.

　　Excerpted from The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope by José Andrés and World Central Kitchen with Sam Chapple-Sokol; foreword by Stephen Colbert, copyright © 2023. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Buy the full book from Amazon or Penguin Random House.