Campanelle Pasta with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes and Basil

Ingredients

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 4 ears corn, husked
• 4 tablespoons (½2 stick) salted butter, cut in 1-tablespoon pieces, divided
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 1 habanero chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 12 ounces campanelle or other short pasta
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil, sliced

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together the tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt; set aside. Set a box grater in a large bowl or pie plate. Using the grater's large holes, grate the corn down to the cobs; reserve the cobs.
2. In a large pot, bring 2½ quarts water to a boil. Add the corn cobs and 1 tablespoon salt, reduce to medium and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard the cobs, then remove the pot from the heat.
3. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the grated corn, shallots, habanero and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1½ cups of the cooking liquid. Cook over medium-low, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (a spatula should leave a trail when drawn through the mixture), 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, return the remaining corn-infused water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until l dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet and cook over medium, stirring constantly, until the pasta is coated and the sauce is creamy, about 2 minutes; if needed, add the reserved cooking water 2 tablespoons at a time to reach proper consistency.
5. Off heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, basil and tomatoes with their juice, then toss until the butter has melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

The ingredients in this summery pasta dish are few, so using fresh corn and ripe tomatoes is key. To create a creamy sauce without cream, we grate the corn kernels from the cobs. To reinforce the corn flavor, we boil the grated cobs in a minimal amount of water--just 2½ quarts--that's also used to cook the pasta, concentrating the flavors and starches in the corn-infused liquid. We put some of that liquid to further use by stirring it into a corn-shallot sauce. Yellow corn qives the dish a golden hue, but white corn works, too. Whichever you use, make sure to remove as much of the silk as possible before grating. Don't fear the habanero in this dish. It does add a little heat, but seeding the chili removes much of its burn. It's here as a fruity complement to the corn, tomatoes and basil.