Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta

Hello and welcome to Sunday Supper! Let me start by saying I love this pasta dish! Caramelized corn with thinly cut asparagus, seasoned with turmeric and tossed with a light sauce of garlic, white wine, and pasta water, finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It’s so light, yet so full of sweet corn flavor; the earthiness of turmeric and the bright white wine make such a great combination. A perfect summer pasta dish with bright colors and sunny flavors. Let’s get right to it: Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta.

This recipe is by Alexa Weibel from the NYT Cooking site; I have modified it a little. Namely, I left out the dollops of ricotta at the very end. I feel like the dish overall was plenty rich with the butter and the olive oil that it really didn’t need the ricotta. But you can add it on at the very end if you like. Just dollop ricotta seasoned with kosher salt on the individual portions after you’ve plated the pasta.

Prep

You can certainly use frozen corn for this and it will be delicious. But if you use the corn cut off the cob, we get a twofer, because we are going to put the cobs in the pasta water to boil with the pasta. It’ll give the pasta a slightly sweet, corn-infused flavor.

So, cut the corn from 3 cobs of corn and put the cobs in a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. While that is getting going, we can slice the asparagus, mince the scallions and the garlic, and measure out the rest of the ingredients. We have 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, two teaspoons of turmeric (divided), 1/3 cup of dry white wine and 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Caramelized Corn

In a separate pot, over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add the corn. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of sugar over the corn, it will help to caramelize the corn quicker. You can leave out the sugar if you want to. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.

Stir the corn occasionally and cook until the corn begins to develop caramelized brown spots. About 6-8 minutes.

When the corn is looking caramelized, add the sliced asparagus, 1 teaspoon of turmeric and the scallions. Reduce the heat to medium and stir to combine. Let cook for only a few minutes, just until the asparagus is tender.

Remove from heat and transfer the corn and asparagus mixture to a separate bowl. By now the water should be boiling for the pasta. Add 2 tablespoons of Diamond Kosher Salt or 1 tablespoon of Morton’s Kosher Salt to the pot, then add the pasta. Cook and stir the pasta occasionally, and cook according to package directions for just shy of al dente. My bucatini is shy of al dente at 8 minutes.

Scoop out 1.5-2 cups of pasta water and then drain the pasta, discard the corn cobs.

Buttery Turmeric Sauce

Return to the now empty pot we cooked the corn and asparagus in. Turn the heat to medium and add the butter, garlic and remaining 1 teaspoon of turmeric. As the butter melts and gets foamy, whisk to combine and add the white wine to deglaze the pot.

Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom and let the mixture cook for a couple minutes, then whisk in 1 cup of the pasta water. Stir to combine.

Now add the cooked pasta to the pot and use kitchen tongs to mix the pasta in the sauce, fully coating the pasta in the sauce. Keep stirring with the tongs until the sauce is absorbed into the pasta. Add more pasta water as needed to keep the pasta silky and glossy, not sticky. Then cut the heat.

Add half of the corn and asparagus mix to the pasta and toss to combine. The remaining half of the corn and asparagus will get divided between the individual servings as a topping.

Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta

Plate a serving of the Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta in a shallow bowl. Spoon some of the remaining corn and asparagus mixture on top. Then squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the pasta and finish with flaky finishing salt and black pepper.

This Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta is so amazingly good. If you want to swap out the asparagus, try sliced zucchini. So fresh and so flavorful, this pasta is a great summer dish – highlighting the sweet, juicy flavor of corn. Don’t forget to squeeze the lemon juice over the finished dish, it really amps up all the flavors and give it a light freshness.

Thank you so much for joining me today for Sunday Supper! Do give this summery Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta and let me know how you like it. If you’re looking for another simple pasta, perfect for summer with rich flavor, try Bucatini with Charred Scallions and Red Pepper – it’s wonderfully simple and delicious. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

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Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta

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Dinner, Main Course – American/Italian

By Alexa Weibel, via NYT Cooking – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15 Minutes – Total Time: 25 Minutes

So fresh and so flavorful, Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta is a great summer dish – highlighting the sweet, juicy flavor of corn.

Ingredients

• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
• 3 Ears of Corn
• 1 lb. Bucatini, Spaghetti, Linguine or any shaped pasta
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp. Granulated Sugar (Optional)
• 16 Medium Stalks Asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle (about 2 cups)
• 3 Scallions, trimmed and minced, or 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 tsp. Ground Turmeric, divided
• 6 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup Dry White Wine, or Vermouth
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Flaky Finishing Salt
• 1 cup Fresh Ricotta, seasoned to taste with salt (Optional)

Instructions

1

Cut the corn from 3 cobs of corn and put the cobs in a large pot of 4 quarts of water to boil for the pasta.

2

In a separate pot, over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add the cut corn. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of sugar over the corn. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.

3

Stir the corn occasionally and cook until the corn begins to develop caramelized brown spots. About 6-8 minutes.

4

When the corn is looking caramelized, add the sliced asparagus, 1 teaspoon of turmeric and the scallions. Reduce the heat to medium and stir to combine. Let cook for only a few minutes, just until the asparagus is tender.

5

Remove from heat and transfer the corn and asparagus mixture to a separate bowl. By now the water should be boiling for the pasta. Add 2 tablespoons of Diamond Kosher Salt or 1 tablespoon of Morton's Kosher Salt to the pot, then add the pasta. Cook and stir the pasta occasionally, and cook according to package directions for just shy of al dente.

6

Scoop out 1.5-2 cups of pasta water and then drain the pasta, discard the corn cobs.

7

Return to the now empty pot we cooked the corn and asparagus in. Turn the heat to medium and add the butter, garlic and remaining 1 teaspoon of turmeric. As the butter melts and gets foamy, whisk to combine and add the white wine to deglaze the pot.

8

Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom and let the mixture cook for a couple minutes, then whisk in 1 cup of the pasta water. Stir to combine. Now add the pasta to the pot and use kitchen tongs to mix the pasta in the sauce, fully coating the pasta in the sauce. Keep stirring with the tongs until the sauce is absorbed into the pasta. Add more pasta water as needed to keep the pasta silky and glossy, not sticky. Then cut the heat.

9

Add half of the corn and asparagus mix to the pasta and toss to combine. The remaining half of the corn and asparagus will get divided between the individual servings as a topping.

10

Plate a serving of the Caramelized Corn and Asparagus Pasta in a shallow bowl. Spoon some of the remaining corn and asparagus mixture on top. Then squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the pasta and finish with flaky finishing salt and black pepper.

11

Dollop ricotta on individual servings, if using.

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