Campanelle Pasta with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes and Basil

This recipe was inspired by a pasta dish served at Al Forno restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. There, ears of corn are blanched, then the kernels are sliced off and mixed with chopped tomatoes, minced habanero chilies and fresh herbs, then tossed with olive oil and hot pappardelle. We instead grate the corn off the cobs, which yields a coarse puree of kernels and starchy corn “milk.” We then simmer the cobs in water to make a corn-infused broth to use as the base of the sauce as well for cooking the pasta. The ingredients in this summery pasta dish are few, so fresh corn and ripe tomatoes is key. Yellow corn gave the dish a golden hue, but white corn worked, too. Whichever you use, make sure to remove as much as the silk as possible before grating. Short, sauce-catching pasta shapes are best here—if you can’t find campanelle (a frilly, trumpet-like shape), look for penne rigate, fusilli or farfalle.