Creamy Sweet Corn & Brown Butter Ricotta Pasta

Step 1

First, brown your butter: add butter to a medium saucepan or skillet and place over medium heat. The butter will begin to melt, crackle, and then eventually foam. Make sure you whisk constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan, this usually happens once it foams. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a medium bowl to prevent burning, making sure you scrape all the yummy brown bits from the pan with a rubber spatula; this is where the flavor is! Set aside to cool.

Step 2

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for your pasta, then start cooking your corn.

Step 3

Place a skillet over medium high heat and add in 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter. Once oil is hot or butter is melted, add in the corn, season with salt and pepper, and saute for approximately 10 minutes; stirring every so often until corn begins to caramelize and turn slightly golden in places. Add half of the sauteed corn to a blender with the ½ cup of ricotta and ½ teaspoon salt and set aside; do not blend yet. Reserve the remaining half of corn for stirring into the pasta.

Step 4

While the corn is cooking, you can cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. Before draining pasta and adding back to the pan, reserve ½ cup of pasta water and add to the corn/ricotta mixture, then blend the mixture until mostly smooth.

Step 5

Finally, add brown butter to the cooked pasta and stir to coat, then toss in the blended corn/ricotta mixture, extra corn, basil and green onion. Add freshly ground salt and pepper to taste. If you like a little heat, i think red pepper flakes would be fabulous. Serves 4-6.