Fresh corn melts into a luscious, creamy sauce that clings to every nook and cranny of your favorite short pasta in this fresh summer dish.
Ingredients
- 8 ears fresh yellow corn
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 small jalapeño, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 5 tablespoons cream cheese, a little more than 1/3 cup
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces short pasta
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler over a large bowl, shave the corn ears, removing only the curved tops of the kernels. Then use a spoon to scrape the remaining kernels and corn milk from the cobs into the bowl. The mixture should pool at the bottom. Discard the cobs or reserve them for making stock.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots are translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the corn mixture and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed, until the mixture is creamy and loosened, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese, Parmesan or Pecorino, red pepper flake, and butter and stir until melted and fully incorporated.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium-large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1/4 cup salt, to the boiling water ( you want the water to taste like the sea) add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
- Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Add the pasta and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt to the corn sauce over medium-low heat. Stir to combine, adding the reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed until the sauce is creamy and coats the pasta.
- Remove from the heat and taste, add additional salt if necessary.
- Divide among four shallow bowls. Top each with freshly ground black pepper, a light drizzle of olive oil, and a generous shower of grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. Serve piping hot.
Notes
- Fresh summer corn is best as both the kernels and the corn milk create the sauce’s creamy texture, but I love this recipe so much I’ve made this with canned corn in a pinch, Shhhhh ◡̈
- If the sauce becomes too thick, loosen it with additional pasta water.
- Pecorino Romano will provide a saltier, sharper flavor than Parmesan.
- I love to serve with crusty bread and a simple green salad.
