I Replaced Creamed Alfredo Pasta With Corn and Have No Regrets
I fully support the idea that necessity is the mother of invention, especially when it comes to cooking. Even though I didn’t have many ingredients, I still needed lunch, and with a couple of ears of corn to tinker with, it was a good time for invention. When I’m tired and hungry, almost anything starchy seems like a good idea, so I grabbed a box of spaghetti and tried making corn Alfredo. The results were surprising.
Is there cream in Alfredo sauce?
Before anyone yells at me for not using cream, I would like to mention that classic Italian pasta Alfredo does not use cream in the sauce. This is a popular addition to make the sauce thicker and richer (I usually do this too), but all you need is a little pasta water, butter and Romano or Parmesan cheese.
In this recipe I use a classic, lighter Alfredo sauce, without the cream. It is thinner than the cream version, but very tasty and satisfying. Personally, finishing a large bowl doesn’t leave me feeling potentially disgusting like a creamier variety might. This may not be the Alfredo sauce you’re used to, but it’s damn good on its own. Rest assured, if you’re confused by the name, you can always add more ground pepper and call it “corn cacio e pepe” instead.
My motto in the kitchen is “just try it” and that’s what I did. I ended up with a plate of pasta that tasted like the late summer corn festival. The sauce was smooth and buttery, and the Parmesan was more prominent than I expected without overpowering the dish. Come to think of it, Butter, Salt and Cheese are Corn’s old friends anyway, so they all played very well together.
In general, the dish is prepared simply and quickly, but I would recommend taking care of the last step, when the cheese and spicy pasta are added. Resist the temptation to keep the heat high, otherwise the cheese may harden. Turn off the heat and let the residual heat melt everything. Not that it will change the righteous taste, but the dish will look like a wonderful mixture of noodles, corn chunks and rubbery cheese. I used regular spaghetti since that’s what I had, but next time I’ll probably use something stickier like rotini, orecchiette, or cavatappi to catch more of the shredded corn bits.
The recipe below looks heavy on salt, but I would encourage you to add a little salt, taste and judge. It really depends on how sweet your corn is. My fresh corn was very sweet, so I had to sprinkle even more salt at the end. After cutting off the fresh corn kernels, I hulled the cob to get the “corn milk”, but this is not necessary as the mixing step will also release the juices from the kernels. You can also make this recipe with frozen corn any time of year if you feel like you need a taste of summer.
Corn Alfredo Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
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4 ounces pasta
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1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
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2 tablespoons butter
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2 small ears of fresh corn, kernels trimmed and ears cleaned
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⅓ cup grated or shredded Romano (or Parmesan) cheese
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¼-½ teaspoon salt
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Pinch of black pepper
1. Place a pan of water on the fire. Once it boils, add a little salt (salty as the sea or otherwise) and add the pasta. Grind the corn kernels. This can be done by hand using a potato masher, in a blender, or using an immersion blender in a measuring cup. You just want to squeeze out some corn “milk” (the starchy flavor) and break up the kernels a bit.
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the garlic clove. Leave it just broken; This is to add flavor. You’ll catch him later. Let the oil and garlic fry in the pan for about a minute. Add corn and stir for about a minute. Find the garlic, remove it and discard it.
3. Around this time, the pasta should be finished. Turn off the heat in the pan, add the cheese and add the pasta, using tongs to remove the pasta and toss it directly into the pan. A little pasta water will benefit the dish (but don’t overdo it). Stir everything together and serve, divided between two plates. Pepper on top and add more cheese if desired.