Creamy Corn Fusilli with Crispy Prosciutto and Romano Beans
I love the way the sweetness of the corn and the saltiness of the prosicutto work with each other here. To really make this a corn forward dish, the corn cobs are not tossed away in the trash; instead, they are grated to extract “corn milk”. It adds more corn flavor and creaminess overall. The addition of romano beans truly makes this a September, end-of-summer meal.
Note: To make this meal completely vegetarian and totally satisfying, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and omit the prosciutto. In place of the prosciutto, add about ⅓-½ cup of toasted, salted sunflower seeds to the pasta at the end.
Total Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 lb brown rice fusilli or gemelli
2 ears of corn, shucked and wiped clean
2 leeks, halved, cleaned and thinly sliced, white parts only
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp of unsalted butter
⅔ cup of low sodium chicken broth (add more as necessary)
5 oz of romano beans (can substitute for snow peas)
1.5 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
Toasted salted sunflower seeds for garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Salt the water, turn off the heat, and add the corn and let steam for 5-7 minutes until tender. Remove and let cool.
Cut the kernels off of the cob by placing an ear of corn in a shallow bowl and holding it upright with one end on the bowl. Cut down vertically on the corn kernels, rotating the cob with each cut. Do not cut too close to the center of the cob that you take fibrous pieces of the cob off (you want to leave some of the meaty part of the kernels on the cob) Repeat with the other ear of corn.
Reserve 1/2 cup of kernels for garnish and put the rest into a food processor or blender. Over a shallow bowl, grate the two cobs of corn on a cheese grater to extract “corn milk”. Add the “corn milk” to the food processor.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the prosciutto until crispy (about 5 minutes). Remove the prosciutto and roughly chop. Set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the olive oil and butter, then cook the leeks and garlic until softened (about 8 minutes). Add to the food processor. Blend the corn, corn milk, leeks, garlic, and chicken stock until smooth and creamy.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heavily salt the water and blanch the romano beans for 1-2 minutes (or until tender with a bite) and immediately remove with a slotted spoon and shock them in an ice water bath. Once cool to the touch, remove and slice about 1 cm thick. Set aside.
With the water still boiling, add and cook the pasta according to cooking directions. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and combine the pureed mixture of corn, the pasta water and the romano beans in the pot. Serve in shallow bowls and top with crispy prosicutto, reserved corn kernels and toasted sunflower seeds.