Fresh Corn Orecchiette for Two

Corn’s season is short and its window of peak sweetness even shorter; the sugars begin converting to starch within hours of picking, which is why corn bought at a farmers market on a Tuesday tastes nothing like corn that has been sitting in a supermarket cold room for three days. This recipe is built for the good corn, the kind that barely needs cooking, and it asks very little of it beyond getting out of the way.

The orecchiette shape is deliberate. Those small ear-shaped cups catch and hold both the whole kernels and the blended corn sauce in a way that flat pasta or long pasta simply doesn’t; every forkful has the sauce already in it rather than slipping off. Scallions add a mild oniony note, Parmigiano brings the salt and depth, and the corn water that cooked the pasta ties the whole dish together in a way that plain salted water never could.

Why This Works

Using the corn water to cook the pasta is the move that ties the whole dish together; the water is already sweet and faintly starchy from the corn, and the pasta absorbs that flavor as it cooks. Blending half the corn into a sauce while keeping the other half as whole kernels gives the dish two textures from the same ingredient: a creamy coating that clings to the orecchiette cups, and bursts of sweetness when you bite through a kernel. Orecchiette is exactly the right shape, its concave center catches both the sauce and the loose kernels, so nothing pools at the bottom of the bowl.

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Key Ingredients in This Recipe

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

• Pasta – I’ve chosen Orecchiette pasta; that shape holds the kernels nicely
• Corn on the cob
• Scallions
• Parsley
• Parmigiano Reggiano – grated or shaved

How to Make Fresh Corn Orecchiette

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• Step 1 – Boil water and salt in a pan (large enough to hold two ears of corn). Add the ears and cook for about 10 minutes. Take the ears out of the water and allow to cool. Remove the kernels from the corn.
• Step 2 – Add the pasta to the hot ‘corn water’ and cook the pasta according to the directions on the packaging.
• Step 3 – Melt the butter in a skillet and add the scallions and the corn. Cook for a few minutes to soften the scallions. Transfer most of the scallion and corn mixture into a blender and pulse until you have a saucy substance. Add pasta water if needed to thin out. A note on this step: the idea of blending corn into a sauce came from experimenting with a new blender, and it turned out to be the best thing about the dish. Corn has natural binding properties, so it blends into something thick and creamy without any added dairy. Keeping some kernels whole means you still get that burst of sweetness when you bite through them.
• Step 4 – Drain the pasta and transfer back in to the pan, add the corn puree as well as the reserved kernels.
• Step 5 – Add grated Parmesan cheese and finely chopped parsley.
• Step 6 – Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Other Corn Recipes to Try