Just today as I was browsing through my Instagram account, I noticed people posting pictures of fall recipes. Fall recipes?! Has time flown by that quickly that I didn't even notice that the seasons have changed? Here I am holding on to this amazing pappardelle with corn pesto recipe when corn and tomatoes are no longer in season! Thankfully in California, there's still an abundance of corn and tomatoes available for me to continue enjoying this meal because let me tell you...it's a real winner. If you can still find these ingredients in your area, I must insist you try this recipe!
Homemade Pappardelle with Corn Pesto
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup semolina
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups corn kernels
- ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
- ½ cup parmesan grated
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 6 oz prosciutto
- 2 tablespoon oil divided
- 2 ears corn shucked
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- ⅓ cup Parmesan grated
- fresh basil for garnish
- Make the dough for the pappardelle. Sift the all-purpose flour and semolina flour on a large work surface. Create a well in the center and carefully crack the eggs into the well. Add the olive oil and using a fork, break up the eggs. Start dragging in the flour mixture into the well, gradually adding more flour. Mix until just combined.
- Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 4-5 minutes. Cover the dough and let rest for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough either with a rolling pin or with a pasta machine. Cut the dough into ¾ inch thick noodles. Dust with semolina and cover with a clean kitchen towel until ready to cook.
- Meanwhile, make the corn pesto. Place the corn, pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil in a food processor or blender until a paste forms. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lay prosciutto in an even layer on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until crisp.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the 2 ears shucked corn and saute for 3-4 minutes or until slightly charred. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of oil. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook until blistered and softened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.
- Boil a large pot of salted water on high heat. Cook the pappardelle for 2-3 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Add the pasta back to the pan along with the corn pesto, reserved cooking liquid, cooked corn, and ⅓ cup grated Parmesan. Stir to coat the noodles in the sauce and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and portion the pasta into 4 bowls. Top with the cherry tomatoes, crispy prosciutto, fresh basil, and extra Parmesan. Serve.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
After months of debate, I finally caved and bought myself a pasta machine. I was more than excited to make fresh noodles. I eagerly made the dough, rolled it through the machine, dried it on my rack, and cooked it until perfectly al dente. Unfortunately, the noodles did not hold up to my expectations. They didn't have the bite that the perfect noodles had. Turns out that I was missing a key ingredient: semolina!
Using a combination of semolina with flour and eggs creates a noodle that has the right amount of chew factor while delivering on flavor.
Once you have mastered the skill of making and rolling out the pasta, cut the noodles into ¾ inch wide noodles to create pappardelle. You can also prepare a large batch of the noodles and freeze them for up to 2 months. The noodles only take a couple of minutes to cook so once they are cut, get the rest of the ingredients ready.
If you never had crispy prosciutto before, you are in for a real treat. Baking the prosciutto enhances the flavors and makes it extra crispy. A little goes a long way so you don't need much - 6 ounces should be plenty for 4 servings. Saute the remaining corn and blister the cherry tomatoes until softened.
Now for the corn pesto. When I think of pesto, I think of a cheesy herb sauce. This is somewhat of a variation of that sauce. Like a pesto, this corn sauce has nuts, parmesan, and olive oil. Unlike a pesto, the key ingredient is corn. Blend or process the ingredients together and the milk from the corn moistens the pesto making one creamy, nutty sauce.
Cook the pappardelle and toss it together with the corn pesto, pasta cooking water, sauteed corn, and parmesan. Season the pasta with salt and pepper and top it with the crispy prosciutto, tomatoes, fresh basil, and more parmesan.
This homemade pappardelle with corn pesto was everything I was looking for and more. The sweet corn pesto with the juicy cherry tomatoes and salty prosciutto hits all of the marks. And can I say, it's amazing how creamy the pasta is without using any heavy cream! Come winter, I know I will be missing this pasta!
For more pasta inspiration check out this breakfast pasta!