From the blog For Love of the Table
1 bunch kale (see notes), center ribs removed (you will have about 5 oz. trimmed kale) and leaves rinsed in several changes of water
2 to 3 strips of bacon (about 2 oz.), cut cross-wise in 1/4-inch strips
1 small (or half of a medium) red onion (about 4 oz.), cut in a 1/4-inch dice
olive oil
a pinch of hot pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 c. roasted corn
1/2 lb. Bucatini (or linguine)
1/2 recipe corn pesto
freshly grated Parmesan
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the kale and boil until tender—about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the kale and spread on a baking sheet to cool. Squeeze out the excess water with your hands and chop coarsely. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium sauté pan, set over medium low heat, render the bacon, stirring occasionally until crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels. Increase the heat to medium, add the onions to the pan along with a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are tender and beginning to caramelize—about 8 to 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon (more or less, depending on the fattiness of the bacon) of olive oil to the pan followed by a pinch of hot pepper flakes and the kale, stirring and tossing to break up the kale and coat it in the fat. Cook over moderately low to low heat until the kale has darkened and is sizzling in the fat a bit—another 15 to 20 minutes. Add the corn and heat through. Reduce the heat to the very lowest setting while you cook the pasta.
Drop the pasta into a large pot of rapidly boiling water seasoned with about a teaspoon of salt per quart. Stir and cook until the pasta is al dente. When the pasta is almost done, scoop out a half cup of the pasta water and set aside.
While the pasta finished cooking, place the corn pesto in a large bowl with a quarter cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Stir until smooth and incorporated. Drain the pasta and add along with a drizzle (maybe a half tablespoon?) of olive oil. Toss to coat the pasta, adding more of the pasta water as necessary to obtain a fluid sauce. Add the warm kale and corn mixture and toss well. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Correct the consistency with pasta water and/or olive oil. Serve topped with the reserved bacon and freshly grated Parmesan. Serves 2 to 3.
Notes:
I use Red Russian Kale, but Siberian or Tuscan would work well too.
The recipe may be easily doubled. Choose a very large sauté pan for cooking the onions and kale.
If you have corn pesto on hand, but don't have extra roasted corn, you may prepare this pasta by adding raw corn kernels to the sauté pan after the onions have caramelized. When the corn begins to sizzle in the bacon fat, add the oil and kale and proceed with the recipe.
http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2014/09/pasta-with-corn-pestotwo-ways.html
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