Sometimes it’s funny where you end up getting great recipes. On our way back from Italy in the spring, I was flipping through the channels on the TV on the Alitalia flight we were on. There were movies, TV shows, sports, news, etc. They also had cooking segments. I couldn’t resist that – I had to see what they were cooking up. This was one of those recipes and when I got home and whipped it up, it was a hit.
With sweet corn still in season around here, this a perfect time to make this. The gorgonzola cheese adds a little zing to the whole dish. If you can’t find or don’t have pancetta, just substitute a little bacon. The original recipe used fettuccine, but I used linguini here.
This dish is a snap to make – boil the pasta in one pot and while that is cooking, make the sauce in a fry pan and then toss everything together and serve.
note: if you want to make this a vegetarian dish, leave out the pancetta but be sure to add a little sea salt to the dish to make up for the saltiness lost in not using the pancetta.
Pasta with Sweet Corn and Gorgonzola
for a printable recipe, click here
serves 3-4
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces diced pancetta (or bacon, if you do not have pancetta)
- 8 ounces pasta (anything you like – I used linguini)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces sweet corn (about 2 ears), cut off the cob
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (about 2.5 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons gorgonzola cheese (about 1.5 ounces)
- 6 scallions, sliced diagonally
- 2 ounces sun dried tomatoes, julienned
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup white wine
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of well salted water to boil for the pasta.
Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a large saute pan until just done and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Do not wipe out the fat from the pan.
Boil the pasta and while it is cooking, make the sauce:
Add the olive oil to the pan and saute the corn and scallions over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Season with a little salt (the pancetta will add salt later) and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Pour in the wine, cooking for a couple of minutes to let the wine reduce. Add the cheeses and whisk gently until they are smooth and well incorporated. Mix in pancetta, basil, parsley and tomatoes. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Place a lid on the pan, turn off the heat and let steep for a minute or so.
Drain the pasta and add to the pan and toss well.
