Seasonal treat
One of my favourite times of the year is when I see those huge bins of freshly harvested ears of corn at the market. Corn on the cob, a great Canadian (and American) tradition that thankfully remains a seasonal treat that we can look forward to every year. It means fall is on its way, canning and preserving are in full gear and only a few outdoor bbq days are left.
When I was a little kid we would drive out to the country in search of the best corn stand of the season. It’s pretty standard knowledge for a kid that corn is ready to harvest when it is as high as an elephant’s eye, or at least that’s what my father used to say. Every once in a while we would return home with a bag of what we all referred to as cow corn, a chewy bland corn suitable for cattle feed. But after years of experience we always knew where to go to get corn “so sweet it will make your ears ring.”
Manicured corn
Dubious stacks of manicured corn at the supermarket always turn me off. What I’m looking for is a crate pulled off the back of a pick up filled with corn picked that morning.
This year I may have found the best corn stand (fruit and veg too) in recent memory. Not only did this stand sell a darned near perfect ear of corn but it was on the route of my favourite bike ride in Stanley Park. Like a fresh food oasis hidden under the fog of the deep fryers from the Second Beach take out stand, Berry Mobile set up a wonderful market tent selling the best of the bounty of British Columbia. Fresh peaches, pears, apples, berries and tomatoes all lined up with two of those crates filled with perfect peaches and cream.
West Coast
I’m not sure whether it gets more West Coast than riding your mountain bike out to Third Beach to stare out at the Pacific and the North Shore and then coasting along the Sea Wall to fill your back pack with freshly picked corn at Second Beach before an epic sunset at Sunset Beach and home for dinner.
After a few feeds of steaming hot cobs, rolled in butter and sprinkled with salt, it was time to get a little creative and change it up. The next best thing to corn on the cob is corn freshly cut from the cob and then prepared and I have just the recipe, pappardelle with roasted corn and peppers.
A one pan sauce
A one pan sauce that comes together in minutes into a rich creamy pasta sauce. Corn pairs well with dairy, in this case cream and Parmigiano Reggiano. Corn is also known to match well with smoky/salty bacon but here I used a piece of prosciutto end or remove it all together for a vegetarian version. The final thickening of the sauce is done by puréeing about a third of the ingredients and returning them to the pan. I like to use a hand held blender or you can scoop some into a standard blender. Don’t forget to save a splash of pasta cooking water for the end if things thicken up too much.
Bursting with the creamy sweetness of freshly picked corn this recipe will surprise you with how decadent it is for such a simple pasta dish.
- 500 g pappardelle
- 4 ears of corn, cut from the cob
- 3 or 4 slices of bacon or Prosciutto, cut into match sticks
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 or 3 roasted bell peppers, cut into strips
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated parmigian
- Salt and pepper
- In a large sauté pan, cook the bacon or Prosciutto until it just begins to colour.
- Add the onion to the pan and continue cooking until they are reduced and transparent.
- Add the corn, the goal is to slightly caramelize the corn along with the onion and bacon so turn up the heat and stir often.
- When you are almost satisfied with the colour of everything, add the garlic.
- When done, pour in the cream and water along with the cheese and roasted peppers.
- Stir well to combine and bring to a simmer over medium low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Take off the heat, place about a third of the mixture into a blender (or use a hand held immersion blender) and purée into a smooth sauce.
- Return it to the pan and bring to a simmer.
- If the sauce has become too thick add a splash of cooking water from the pasta to thin it out before seasoning it with salt and pepper.
- Cook the pappardelle very al dente and finish it in the corn sauce for a couple of minutes, again adding a splash of pasta water to loosen things up if necessary.
- Depending on how much sauce you like I would remove some from the pan before adding the pasta. That way you can get the pasta to sauce ratio just right. Finish the dish with more Parmigiano Reggiano.
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