Creamy Corn Pasta With Basil
Published July 19, 2016
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Fine sea salt
12 ounces dry orecchiette or farfalle
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 bunch scallions (about 8), trimmed and thinly sliced (keep the whites and greens separate)
2 large ears corn, shucked and kernels removed (2 cups kernels)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper, more for serving
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, more to taste
⅓ cup torn basil or mint, more for garnish
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Fresh lemon juice, as needed
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 to 4 servings)
80 grams carbs; 36 milligrams cholesterol; 569 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 529 milligrams sodium; 21 grams protein; 8 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, heat oil in large sauté pan over medium heat; add scallion whites and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup water and all but ¼ cup corn; simmer until corn is heated through and almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, transfer to a blender, and purée mixture until smooth, adding a little extra water if needed to get a thick but pourable texture.
- Step 3
Heat the same skillet over high heat. Add butter and let melt. Add reserved ¼ cup corn and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. (It’s O.K. if the butter browns; that deepens the flavor.) Add the corn purée and cook for 30 seconds to heat and combine the flavors.
- Step 4
Reduce heat to medium. Add pasta and half the reserved pasta cooking water, tossing to coat. Cook for 1 minute, then add a little more of the pasta cooking water if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in ¼ cup of the scallion greens, the Parmesan, the herbs, the red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice to taste. Transfer to warm pasta bowls and garnish with more scallions, herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper.
Private Notes
Comments
Delicious. Make a stock with the corn cobs. Simmer in water 10 - 15 minutes. Use this stock to cook the pasta. More corn taste. Reserve a higher proportional of whole kernels. 1/2 cup, maybe more for crunch in the finished dish. Or just use more corn.
Fabulous! Thanks, Melissa. I added chopped grape tomatoes - in halves or quarters - which also adds another bright flavor to the dish. I added the tomatoes in at the end with the basil. Yum, Yum and Yum!
Jeff took the doors off the Jeep since it was a beautiful day. Unfortunately, when he rounded a bend one of the grocery bags fell out of the back seat and into the road! Luckily no one was injured. Long story short, this recipe is delicious even without scallions!
This was delicious! Perfect summertime dish. I sautéed a diced zucchini with the butter before adding the remaining corn and puree to the pan. Amazing and will be making again.
This was a delightful summer pasta dish, all of my family loved it! Nothing needs changing, but I might add some toasted pine nuts.
Have made this several times, and tonight’s version was by far the best. Made the corn sauce by slowly simmering the sautéed corn kernels and scallions (used white onion because it’s what we had) in bone broth, with a Parmesan rind and basil leaves. Then added some chopped baby heirloom tomatoes with the whole kernels. The best part was using Trader Joe’s corn burrata ravioli rather than regular pasta. All topped off with basil and chili garlic oil rather than pepper flakes.