Best Summer Vegetable Cavatelli With Fresh Corn Cream Recipes

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CREAMY CORN PASTA WITH BASIL



Creamy Corn Pasta With Basil image

There's no cream in this wonderfully summery pasta dish, just a luscious sauce made from puréed fresh corn and sweet sautéed scallions, along with Parmesan for depth and red chile flakes for a contrasting bite. Be sure to add the lemon juice and fresh herbs at the end; the rich pasta really benefits from their bright, fresh flavors. And while this is best made at the height of corn season, it's still quite good even with out-of-season supermarket ears, or with frozen corn.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories     pastas, main course

Time 30m

Yield 3 to 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

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)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, more for serving
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more to taste
1/3 cup torn basil or mint, more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Fresh lemon juice, as needed

Steps:

  • 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 1/2 cup of pasta water.
  • 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 1/4 cup water and all but 1/4 cup corn; simmer until corn is heated through and almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 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.
  • Heat the same skillet over high heat. Add butter and let melt. Add reserved 1/4 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.
  • 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 1/4 cup of the scallion greens, the Parmesan, the herbs, the red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 549, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 80 grams, Fat 18 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 19 grams, SaturatedFat 9 grams, Sodium 498 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams, TransFat 0 grams

SUMMER VEGETABLE CAVATELLI WITH FRESH CORN "CREAM"



Summer Vegetable Cavatelli with Fresh Corn

There's a restaurant near us that features a burrata-filled tortellini, served in a cream sauce fortified with fresh sweet corn. It's a wonderful dish, and was the inspiration for this simple summer vegetable pasta.

Provided by Chef John

Categories     Pork Recipes

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 14

2 ears fresh white corn, or other sweet corn
2 cups chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces diced bacon or pancetta
½ cup diced sweet red pepper
1 ½ cups diced zucchini
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups cavatelli pasta
1 1/2 cups corn "cream," or as needed
1 cup halved sweet cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or more to taste

Steps:

  • Remove corn kernels from cob and scrape cob with dull edge of knife to remove as much of the corn as possible. Place corn in blender with chicken broth. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. For a smoother mixture, strain through a fine strainer (straining is optional).
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta; cook until pancetta is cooked but not crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove some of the grease from the pan. Add zucchini and red pepper to pan. Saute just until zucchini begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
  • Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add cavatelli and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes or 1 minute less than recommended on the package. Drain well.
  • Transfer the drained pasta to the skillet with the vegetables. Pour in corn cream. Cook and stir on medium-high heat until sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Stir in cherry tomatoes, basil, parsley, and grated cheese.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 461.3 calories, Carbohydrate 60.9 g, Cholesterol 22.9 mg, Fat 18.7 g, Fiber 5.1 g, Protein 15.4 g, SaturatedFat 5.3 g, Sodium 798 mg, Sugar 6.7 g

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