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When it comes to summer pasta recipes, tomatoes and basil are sure to be a hit. And rightfully so, because nothing beats the rich sweet and tart flavor of ripe summer tomatoes and the herby punch of fresh basil. But there’s another seasonal ingredient that should be on your menu, and we’re talking, of course, sweet corn! Corn may be a staple at summer barbecues and seafood boils, but it seems there’s plenty more you can do with it to make this summer speciality shine. Leave it to culinary master Rachael Ray to help. Meals you can make in 30 minutes We’ve rounded up some easy, flavoursome recipes to come up with summer weeknight pasta recipes that feature sweet corn as the star.
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One of the things I love about cooking in the summer is that it doesn’t take many special techniques to bring out the flavor in my ingredients. Ray’s corn pasta recipe calls for four ears of corn cut from the cob. But to get all the flavor of summer sweet corn into the recipe, she uses a knife to scrape off what’s left of the cob, extracting all of the sweet corn juices.
The corn is gently sautéed in butter and olive oil with sliced jalapeños (with membranes and seeds removed to reduce heat), sliced scallions, and minced garlic (the scallions are only fried, not browned). The gentle heat maximizes the sweetness of the corn, preserves its fresh flavor, and removes the pungency of the garlic and scallions.
To get the most out of the corn flavor in this dish, Ray also uses corn-based penne instead of traditional wheat-based pasta, meaning this recipe is gluten-free, but if you can’t get hold of corn pasta (you can buy it on Amazon), you can also use regular penne or any other pasta shape you prefer.
Once the pasta is cooked, Ray mixes the corn mixture with the pasta water, adds lime juice for a tangy flavor, and tops with crumbled ricotta salata cheese. Finally, he garnishes the pasta with fresh mint and parsley to bring more flavor to every bite.
If you’re tired of tomato-based pasta and looking for a way to use up all that summer sweet corn, Rachael Ray’s easy weeknight Zesty Corn Pasta recipe is the way to go.
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The Pioneer Woman’s short rib ragu is “the best pasta sauce I’ve ever had.”
Looking for more summer recipes? Giada De Laurentiis has loads:
Video: How to make Giada De Laurentiis’ stuffed lasagna rolls
