Corn, Bacon and Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
Makes
- 8 ounces dried pasta (I used [spirals](http://www.setaro.it/img_corta_speciale/Setaro%20Fusilli%20corti.jpg) here and [radiatore](http://www.setaro.it/img_pasta_corta/Setaro%20Organetti.jpg) in the past)
- 1/4 pound bacon, ideally thick-cut, diced
- 2 ears corn, shucked and kernels cut from cob
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
- Fistful of fresh basil and chives, chopped
Preparation
- If you’re hoping to pull this all off in one pan, cook your pasta in a large deep saute pan* until al dente, or 1 to 2 minutes before it is done. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water and drain. Wipe pan dry if using for the next steps, otherwise, you can get started in a large frying pan.
- Scatter bacon in pan over medium-high heat, no need to heat the pan first. Cook, stirring, until evenly browned and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon bits to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat from pan (save for other fun stuff, like frying eggs) and add corn to it. Season corn with salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes, until crisp-tender. Add pasta and a couple splashes of the cooking water and half the parmesan and toss, toss, toss the pasta with the corn, seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed and adding more cooking water if it doesn’t feel loose enough. Add scallions and stir to warm. Stir in bacon and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and fresh herbs. Dig in.