Corn Pesto with Bacon, Tomatoes and Asparagus

Hmm…yeah, so about this blog. It’s obviously been neglected lately. I have lots of excuses. I’ve been perpetually sick due to the little carrier monkeys (AKA 6th graders) I spend my days with. I’ve been going to happy hour more than is prudent. I’ve been fixing up my place. It all takes time, ya know?

But I did make this pasta with corn pesto and I want to share it with you because it is really, really good. It’s based on this recipe from epicurious. In my mind pestos are green but apparently epicurious considers anything blended up with olive oil pesto and, since they’re the food experts, I’ll take their word for it.

In my version, bacon is browned until it’s crispy and then corn and onions are caramelized in the bacon fat. Everything gets pureed with lots of parmesan, broth and olive oil. Sautéed grape tomatoes and asparagus are stirred in at the end. The bacon and cheese are salty, the corn and onions are sweet and the tomatoes are tangy and just a little acidic.

 

Ingredients:

1 lb of pasta (capatavi is my favorite, but use what you like)

6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2” pieces

1 medium onion, diced

4 cups of corn, from frozen that’s been thawed or from 5-6 fresh ears

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

2 cups grape tomatoes

1 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1” pieces

1/2 cup grated parmesan

2 Tbs olive oil

1/4 – 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove from pan to a paper towel to drain. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.

Add onion to pan. Cook until translucent. Add corn, garlic, pepper and salt. Cook until corn is tender and onions are golden. Place corn mixture in a bowl and set aside.

Add a bit of olive oil to the skillet and increase heat to medium high. Cook tomatoes and asparagus until tomatoes are softened and asparagus is bright green. Remove from heat.

Place 3/4 of the corn mixture and parmesan into a food processor. Pulse a few times. With food processor going, slowing drizzle in olive oil. Drizzle in broth until pesto reaches the desired thickness and is smooth and creamy.

Add bacon, pesto and remaining corn mixture back into the skillet with the vegetables. Stir in pasta. Serve with additional parmesan.