Pasta with Corn, Tomato & Bacon

By west757

This versatile recipe takes advantage of early summer's best offerings...corn and tomatoes. The beauty of this recipe though, is that it can be easily converted into a pasta salad. You can also use gluten free pasta.

Ingredients

• 3 ears corn
• 2 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 medium-sized vine-ripened or plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, rolled and sliced into a chiffonade
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano
• 1 500 gram package of Rustichella d'Abruzzo pasta (I substituted gluten free corn pasta)

Details

Servings 3

Preparation

Step 1

Place a large pot of water on to boil. Be sure you salt the water well once it comes to a boil.
 
Stand the corn on their ends and slice the kernels off of the cob. Try to take a little of the "milk" off with the kernels by cutting very close to the cob. Set aside.
 
Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Cook until almost completely crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan to a paper towel, leaving the fat behind. Add the corn to the bacon fat, season with salt and pepper and cook until beginning to brown. Remove the corn from the pan to a plate. In the same pan, add the olive oil and the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cook down for a 3 - 5 minutes. 
 
While the pasta is cooking, add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce and stir to combine. Once the pasta is cooked, return the corn and bacon to the pan and add the basil. Check for seasoning.  
 
Add the pasta to the pan (reserve some of the pasta water) and stir to combine. Add the grated Parmigiano and loosen the sauce with the reserved pasta water as needed. Serve immediately with a few tiny leaves of basil and more Parmigiano.