Nothing quite says “end of summer” to me like sweet corn. This Sweet Corn and Bacon Pasta recipe is a great way to take advantage of the summer bounty but is also delicious with frozen kernels if you need to infuse a bit of summer into your life in the middle of winter.
8ozchiocciole pasta(or any short pasta with nooks and crannies such as penne)
4ozbacon
1med sweet onioncut in slivers
¾cupdry white wine
1cupcorn kernels(from two large ears or frozen)
4ozarugula(~4 c of leaves)
2ozcream cheesedivided into small pieces.
1tspsalt
pepper
Instructions
Heat a large skillet on medium-low heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy, about 10 minutes.
While the bacon is cooking, fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil.
Remove bacon from skillet and set aside. Keep 2 tbsp of the bacon grease in the pan. (Depending on the bacon used, the amount of grease can vary greatly – if you have too much, drain off some of the fat – if you have too little, supplement the bacon fat with a little bit of olive oil.)
Add the onion slivers and reduce heat to low. Cook gently for approximately 15 minutes until the onion is tender and starts to caramelize.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the water once it starts to boil. The timing will work best if you start the pasta cooking when the onions have 5 minutes to go.
Cook until al dente – you want to drain it when it still has a bit of bite so that it can finish cooking in the sauce at the end. Save ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
After the onions are caramelized, add corn kernels, salt, and wine. Return heat to medium-low and cook for 2-3 minutes to reduce the wine a bit and tenderize the corn. Add arugula and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted.
Add ¼ cup pasta cooking water to the mix and stir in the cream cheese. Add drained pasta and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes until pasta is well coated with sauce. If it seems dry, add a little more pasta cooking water.
Top with ground black pepper. Depending on the saltiness of the bacon fat, you might want to add a touch more salt.
Crumble bacon and top each serving of pasta with bacon bits.