Flat Pasta with Creamy Corn

Every once in a while, I'll catch an episode of Rachael Ray. There are times when I think her "That's what is for dinner tonight" dishes are a little too crazy for me, that and they incorporate something that I'm not a fan of.

Well for whatever reason, this one caught my eye. And I knew I definitely wanted to make it.

I have made this a couple of times now...Each time perhaps a little different than the first. I have used both corn on the cob and frozen corn (when not in season), peas, edamame, or a combination of both. Also, the flat pasta is a bit too costly for my preference so I usually use something along the same lines. The night I took these pictures it was bowtie pasta but I have also used egg noodles. Oh, and I haven't been able to find a Fresno chili so I usually get Anaheim. I figure, "Hey, they are both California cities [that I've been to], so they work right?"

But no matter what I do, it has always been delicious! This is absolutely one of my favorite "quick" meals that I feel like I'm actually eating somewhat healthfully since it has so many veggies in it. Though perhaps with the bacon...and the butter... ;o)

Flat Pasta with Creamy Corn
by Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 6 ears corn on the cob, husked
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/4 pound pancetta or lean, center-cut bacon, finely chopped
• 1 Fresno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped or 1/2 small sweet red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons thyme, chopped
• 1 small red onion, very finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup shelled fava beans (when available – remove from pod, parboil 5 minutes in shell) or defrosted shelled edamame or lima beans
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound egg tagliatelle, such as Del Verde brand, or other wide-cut pasta
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, for topping

Preparation

Into a large bowl, scrape the corn off the cobs, as well as the cobs themselves, for their sweet, starchy juices.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Add the EVOO to the hot skillet and add the pancetta or bacon. Cook to render the fat and crisp, 3-4 minutes.

Add the corn and juices and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and cook the corn for 3-4 minutes. Add the peppers, onions and garlic; stir for 5 minutes more. Add the fava beans, edamame or lima beans and deglaze the pan with wine or stock. Stir in the butter and reduce the heat to low.

Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta to al dente. Add 1 cup of the starchy cooking water to the creamy corn succotash. Drain the pasta, then toss with the corn and parsley and top with cheese.

 

Grilled Corn

Summer and grilling go hand in hand..which includes corn on the cob! I had tried grilling corn last summer and it turned out okay, but nothing extraordinary. But then Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen's country version) featured a "recipe" or rather method of grilling perfectly sweet and juicy corn. Cook's Country stated, "If your corn isn't as sweet as you'd like, stir 1/2 cup of sugar into the water along with the salt. Avoid soaking the corn for more than 8 hours, or it will become overly salty."

What's the best way to tell if your corn is sweet enough? Well taste it of course (uncooked that is)! This is something that I had always seen my Abuelita do whenever I would go shopping with her. She also "taught" me to always open the corn before buying it to make sure the kernels were still good, plump and not dried out. I have to admit though, since moving to Chicago, it is rare that I see someone open up the cobs to check out the kernels (in fact, the only other time that I have seen someone join me in the good corn hunt was at a Mexican grocery store and it was a "little old lady" as my abuelita to say, someone else's abuelita). But this hasn't stopped me from doing so. I would much rather look "picky" at the grocery store then come home and be greeted with wilted and sickly looking corn.

(now this is some good looking corn if I say so myself)

Anyway, back to the recipe/method. I saw this episode and decided to try it out that week. Without telling Brad what I was doing, I followed the directions and then handed it off to Brad later on that evening to stick it on the grill to compliment our meal for that evening. When it came time to eat, both Brad and Jacob said it was some of the juiciest and sweetest corn they had ever tasted. I then shared with them my little secret and decided that this will now be our go to method for cooking corn when we have the time/foresight.

Grilled Corn on the Cob
from Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen)

"If your corn isn't as sweet as you'd like, stir 1/2 cup of sugar into the water along with the salt. Avoid soaking the corn for more than 8 hours, or it will become overly salty."

Ingredients

	Salt and pepper
8	ears corn , husks and silks removed
8	tablespoons unsalted butter , softened, or 1 recipe flavored butter (see related recipes)

Instructions

1. In large pot, stir 1/2 cup salt into 4 quarts cold water until dissolved. Add corn and let soak for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

2. Grill corn over hot fire, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until kernels are lightly charred all over, 10 to 14 minutes.

Remove corn from grill, brush with softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Serve.