Creamy Corn Miso Pasta Recipe

When summer time corn is at its sweetest, you don’t want a lot to make it shine — and this creamy pasta is proof. The dish leans into the pure taste of peak-season corn, reworking it right into a silky, savory sauce that feels each luxurious and easy. Recent kernels are sautéed in butter with onions and garlic till meltingly tender, then blended till easy. A meals processor makes fast work of the greens, and from there, the sauce comes along with just some pantry staples.

The quiet powerhouse on this recipe is white miso — the favored Japanese pantry staple product of fermented soybean paste with nutty, umami-rich depth. It balances the corn’s sweetness superbly, including a mellowing savory observe that makes this pasta really feel surprisingly advanced. A sprinkle of gochugaru (Korean purple chile flakes) provides light warmth and a touch of floral spice, giving the dish much more dimension with out overpowering the star components.

What makes this pasta actually stand out is its simplicity. Each ingredient has a task: The corn combination brings creaminess, the reserved pasta water helps emulsify, and a handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano provides salty richness. A remaining squeeze of lemon juice lifts the flavors and retains the sauce shiny and balanced.

Whether or not you are pulling dinner collectively on a weeknight or plating up one thing somewhat extra elegant for firm, this dish walks the road between informal and elevated. It’s seasonal, satisfying, and endlessly adaptable. Garnish the pasta together with your favourite inexperienced herbs, high it with toasted breadcrumbs for crunch, or swap up the pasta form. This recipe is proof that summer time cooking doesn’t should be sophisticated to be particular. 

The best way to safely minimize corn off the cob

Slicing corn off the cob could be harmful if not performed correctly. To do it safely, begin by standing the cob upright in a shallow bowl — the bottom will assist stabilize the cob and catch the kernels as you slice. Use a pointy chef’s knife and minimize downward with regular, even strokes, rotating the cob as wanted. For added management, minimize the cob in half and place it flat-side down within the bowl earlier than slicing.

Why use white miso 

White miso provides a mild, savory spine to dishes by enhancing their umami with out overpowering them with salt. The sleek and barely thick paste-like texture additionally helps it thicken a sauce. 

White miso is finest when whisked right into a sauce to interrupt it up and disperse it evenly because it doesn’t dissolve shortly. 

Notes from the Meals & Wine Check Kitchen

• Because the pasta cooking water is crucial for the sauce, use a ladle to scoop some right into a measuring cup earlier than draining. 
• In case you can’t discover campanelle, swap in one other quick pasta form that has ridges or curves designed to seize the sauce like fusilli or cavatappi.
• Gochugaru is out there as coarsely floor flakes or a advantageous powder. For this recipe, select the advantageous powder if you’d like a smoother sauce or a extra vibrant shade enhance.

Prompt pairing 

2022 Hendry Property Barrel Fermented Napa Valley Chardonnay. This richly textured, evenly oaked white mirrors the creaminess of the sauce whereas balancing it with freshness. Its refined oak affect provides hints of spice and toast that complement the miso’s umami and the nuttiness of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. The wine’s shiny acidity retains every chew feeling mild, whereas ripe stone fruit and citrus notes spherical out the sweetness of summer time corn and produce concord to the dish. 

This recipe was developed by Renu Dhar; the textual content was written by Andee Gosnell.