I found another great way to use the corn I froze last summer. This one comes from Giada de Laurentiis’ cookbook Giada’s Italy – My Recipes for La Dolce Vita.
Giada states ” Visitors to my restaurant in Las Vegas, order this more than any other side dish. It’s a decadent side and perfect partner to meat and chicken.”
There is nothing better than fresh sweet corn and Michigan has some of the best – throw in some mascarpone and Parmesan and you have quite a tasty dish!
Her restaurant “GIADA” is located in the Cromwell Hotel and Casino.
For another very popular and delicious recipe see Confetti Corn, Bacon, Red Pepper and Scallions.
Creamy Sweet Corn with Pancetta
- 2 tbsp. olive oil (not needed if the pancetta, bacon or prosciutto has fat)
- 1/4 lb. pancetta (I used thick bacon)
- 1 shallot, chopped (I used scallions, the green part sliced, probably about 1/4 cup)
- 1 medium fennel bulb, stalks discarded, cored and chopped
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 16 oz. sweet corn, thawed or kernels from 8 ears fresh corn, or 4 cups corn kernels
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt (I used only 1/2 tsp.)
- 1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, minced (I used dried basil to taste as fresh was not available Giada probably meant to use a Genovese or Piccolino basil versus Thai) see pictures below
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the pancetta and using tongs cook until it is crispy and golden brown. Add the shallot (scallion), fennel and red pepper flakes; cook an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
Stir in the thawed corn and salt; mix well and warm through. Add 3 tbsp. of water, then fold in the mascarpone and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Heat just to simmering and remove from the heat. Sprinkle with black pepper and the basil.
Comment: If you don’t have pancetta, substitute thick bacon, Canadian bacon or prosciutto. If shallots are not available you can use scallions or onion with a dash of garlic powder. No fennel – use 1 lb. celery and 1 tsp. fennel seed. Get fresh basil, Thai preferably, if you can – it always makes a difference versus dried!
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
My Thai Basil is growing fast… Left to right – Genovese, Thai and Piccolino…
Love corn cooked this way, it is indeed a great side dish. I like the idea of adding fennel to the mix. SO looking forward to good fresh corn season!
Thanks – I too love the addition of fennel. I’ve become a real fan of it lately and enjoy the flavor it gives to recipes. Corn season can’t come soon enough – I only have 1 cup left from last year 🙂
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Wow, that is rich. I can understand why it’s popular. Great side dish.
Thanks Liz – Giada did say this dish is decadent and I have to agree with her!
There’s nothing like the taste of fresh corn, in my opinion. 🌽
Can’t wait for the corn season to get here – I will have to freeze more this year 🙂
This looks so delicious. Love all the ingredients on the list, my mouth is watering imagining the harmony of all the flavors! My husband is a hardcore corn lover (not surprised as he’s American), he’d love this dish. Thanks for sharing :-).
You can’t be American and not love fresh corn! I remember serving corn to some Dutch business associates of Gene’s and their comment was corn was only fed to the cows! Oops 🙂
The corn looks delicious. The sliced scallions really add to the presentation of the dish – great substitution.
The corn was good – a little rich with all the cheese. I agree the green scallions look better than the shallots would have – good thing I didn’t have any 🙂