Fettuccine with Sweet Corn and Fresh Dill
Serves 4-6
This noodle dish’s silky, creamy sauce is brightened with fresh dill. You won’t be able to resist this one!
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
Directions
- 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.