Fettuccine with Sweet Corn and Fresh Dill
Ingredients
- 8 ears corn, peeled
- About 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- Salt
- 1 pound fettuccine, tagliatelle or egg tagliatelle
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
- 1 bunch sweet green Vidalia onions, thinly sliced or 3 medium leeks, trimmed and whites and greens thinly sliced, washed and dried
- 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 7-8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped (a couple of tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup fresh dill (a generous handful), finely chopped
- Freshly grated Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Preparation
Invert a small bowl and place it inside a larger bowl. Balance the ears of corn on the bottom of the small bowl, then scrape the kernels off, capturing them in the large bowl.
Puree half of the corn kernels in a food processor or blender with the stock.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta; salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the EVOO, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Drain and reserve the bacon and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the drippings.
Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining whole corn kernels and season with a black pepper and just a bit of salt. Cook the corn until it starts to lightly brown at the edges, about 5-6 minutes, then add in the onions, garlic, chili pepper and thyme and cook together for a couple of minutes more. Stir in the corn puree and heat through, then stir in the butter and dill. If the sauce is too thick, add a ladle of starchy pasta cooking water to the pan just before draining the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss vigorously to coat evenly for at least 1 minute. Adjust the seasonings and serve with freshly grated cheese on top.
This is one of many "Yum-o!" recipes – it's good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael's nonprofit organization, go to www.yum-o.org.
