This spring I took a pasta cooking class at Sur la Table with my niece, Isabel. We made three different types of pasta and 3 different sauces. This sauce was my favorite and I have been making this dish ever since. It is a fabulous way to use summer's fresh sweet corn and tomatoes. What could be better than sweet corn with bacon and fresh tomatoes? The combination is a winner! It's even better when you make fresh, homemade pasta (or fresh store-bought pasta) but a store bought dried papparadelle or fettucini works almost as well. I keep a stash of Trader Joe's Papparadelle pasta ribbons in my pantry for dishes like this. Cook the pasta in a minimum amount of water so the pasta water is very starchy. Next time you pick up some fresh sweet corn from your local farmer- try this dish! (Amended April 21, 2017)
Fresh Corn, Bacon, and Tomato Pasta
4 ears of fresh sweet corn
5 slices of bacon
4 medium tomatoes (preferably mixed heirloom varieties) or 15-16 cherry or grape tomatoes
2 T olive oil or butter
zest of one lemon
fresh squeezed juice from half a lemon
1/4 c half and half or heavy cream (or milk if you prefer to cut fat calories)
1 T flour or cornstarch slurry
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 6-8 basil leaves chopped
Optional: fresh grated parmesan or chopped chives or green onions
8 oz of wide pasta noodles for 4-5 servings: Papparadelle or fettuccini or wide egg noodles
1. Slice the kernels off the fresh uncooked sweet corn and set aside.
2. Quarter and half the quarters the tomatoes or slice cherry tomatoes in half and set aside.
3. Chop bacon into small pieces and saute in a deep saute pan until crispy. Remove and drain bacon. Drain bacon fat from pan but keep about 1 T of bacon drippings in the pan.
4. Saute corn kernels in bacon drippings and olive oil (or butter) at medium-high for about 4 minutes.
5. Make a flour slurry by adding just enough water to mix the flour (or cornstarch) to pour in as a thickener to the sauce.
6. Add garlic, cream, and tomatoes (and optional basil)- Saute over medium heat for one minute. Add more cream if needed. Optional: Add 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan for an alfredo sauce.
6. Cook pasta and drain when done, reserving about 1 T of pasta water (should be cloudy and starchy).
7. Add pasta to pan. Add lemon juice, pasta water, bacon, and lemon zest. Mix pasta thoroughly with corn and tomato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve topped with fresh grated or shaved parmesan (optional) and/or chopped chives or green onions.
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