Pasta with Sweet Corn and Scallions

Pasta with Sweet Corn and Scallions

As I mentioned several times before, I used to host a big dinner for family, neighbors and friends every Wednesday night for over eight years. It would usually be anywhere from eight to twenty people. We'd sit and laugh, tell stories, eat lots of food and drink lots of wine.

One of the hardest things about hosting these dinners was getting a handle on how many people were coming. I tried to get everyone to let me know whether they were going to attend, and most would comply. Some would forget.

I would plan the dinner menu so, if one or two people I didn’t expect showed up, I’d still have enough. Every once in a while, I’d be surprised at the last minute with five or six extra people I didn’t plan on. One evening, when that happened, I was worried I wouldn’t have enough food. I prepared dinner for twelve and there were eighteen waiting to eat.

I quickly scanned my pantry and spied a can of corn. I already had pasta water boiling, so this is what I made to serve along with the four other pastas that I had made. It was done faster than the time it took to cook the pasta. Several people had second helpings of it, so it must have been ok. 

One final caution, don’t leave the butter you cut up, on the counter. I did that and one guest mistook the butter chunks for cheese and ate a piece. The look on her face was amusing!

1 Stick of Butter cut into 8 sections

3 Green onions

1 tsp. white pepper

1 can sweet corn with the liquid

1 lb. corkscrew pasta

1 cup fresh grated parmesan

Preparation

In a skillet, melt the butter. Slice the green onion razor thin, and include equal amounts of the white and the green parts.  Add the onion to the butter along with the white pepper. Stir for a minute and remove from the heat.

Heat another skillet. Heat the corn until it is simmering. Drain the corn, but save the liquid. Cook and drain the pasta and toss it with the butter and onions. Add the corn and about a third of the reserved liquid from the corn. Add the fresh grated parmesan and stir to mix.

Serving

If you don’t have a big group coming over, serve a big pile of this pasta next to broiled salmon. Now add some stir fried broccoli and onions. Next, slice the warm bread to have with butter. Open a chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio and you are all set for dinner.