Where I come from, corn is the epitome of a summer vegetable; we used to drive out to the fields to get ours fresh and just leave our money in a can on the side of the road. So in this dish I combine corn with lovely little cherry tomatoes sautéed until they burst out of excitement, letting their delightful juices flow! Add some bacon and this sauce just steps up, pokes you, and says, “Hi, I’m summer, glad to see you!”

　　

Ingredients

serves: 4 to 6

　　4 ears of corn, shucked

　　Extra virgin olive oil

　　Kosher salt

　　1/4 pound slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice

　　3 cloves garlic, smashed

　　Pinch of crushed red pepper

　　1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, assorted colors

　　1 1/2 cups chicken (see page 85) or veggie stock

　　1 recipe Chef Anne’s All-Purpose Pasta Dough (page 102), cut into tagliatelle, or 1 pound fresh tagliatelle

　　1 1/2 cups baby arugula

　　Big fat finishing oil

　　1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

　　

Step 1

Preheat a grill or broiler.

　　

Step 2

Rub the corn with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Broil or grill the corn until charred on all sides. Cut the kernels off the cob, then run a knife down the cob again to get the remaining sweet bits.

　　

Step 3

Coat a large wide pan with olive oil. Toss in the bacon, garlic, and red pepper; bring to medium-high heat. When the garlic turns golden and is very aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes, remove it from the pan and ditch it—it has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and roll them around until coated. Add 1 cup of the stock, season with salt, reduce the heat to medium, and let the tomatoes cook until they start to burst, 8 to 10 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the corn to the pan with tomatoes and bacon and stir to combine; add another 1/2 cup stock if the liquid level is very low.

　　

Step 5

Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it’s tender but toothsome.

　　

Step 6

Drain the pasta and add it to the veggies along with about 1/2 cup reserved cooking water; toss vigorously to combine. Remove the pan from the heat, toss in the arugula, drizzle with the big fat finishing oil, and sprinkle with the Parmigiano. Serve immediately.

　　Cook Like a Rock Star