Kale, Corn & Mushroom Pasta

It’s officially fall which makes me officially late at posting this recipe. I considered not even sharing it, since you know, corn is technically not in season any more – but I couldn’t resist you guys, it’s that good. See how I just used that dash right there? Yeah, I have no idea if I’m using it correctly, so bare with me while I relearn what clauses and conjunctions are. I’m a blogger guys, not a punctuation major.

This recipe requires a significant amount of prep work: cutting the corn, mushrooms, kale, garlic, and scallions. The corn is by far the messiest, it basically flies off of the cob while cutting it. If you can’t get your hand on fresh corn on the cob, frozen corn works just fine – I’ve used ’em both in this recipe before. Was that the proper way to use a dash?

Once everything is prepped, the cooking process goes by rather quickly. The bare corn cobs are placed in water to boil with the noodles while the other veggies saute in a large pot. The corn cobs flavor the pasta water, so remember to reserve some of the water before draining the cooked pasta to add back to the final dish. If you are like me and forget every single time, just use plain water or chicken stock instead.

Since I live on the edge, I like serving this dish with Parmesan cheese – because cheese makes everything better, am I right?!

Kale, Corn, and Mushroom Pasta
adapted from Food Network Magazine, September 2013

6 ears of corn
1 lb pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
16 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 bunches kale, stems removed and leaves sliced
2 bunches scallions, white and light green parts chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Slice the corn kernels off of the cobs and extract the milky liquid into a bowl using the back of a knife; set aside. Place the corncobs in a large pot and fill with water. Bring water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the label; reserve one cup of the pasta water, then drain and set aside, discarding the cobs.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook for about five minutes. Add the kale, scallions, garlic and red pepper. Season with salt, cover and cook until wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Add the corn and butter; stir until the butter is melted and the corn is heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid and stir until heated through, adding more pasta water if needed. If you forgot to save the pasta water, substitute with chicken stock or water. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan cheese.

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