Bacon, Corn, and Pesto

Three of my favorite things!  And when combined, make a creamy sauce reminiscent of cabonara.  First things first.  I don't like corn on the cob, it gets in my teeth and it's hard to eat and is messy.  So I always take my corn off the cob before sauteing it.  And as my mom the gourmande taught me, the best method is this:

Use a bundt pan to hold the cob and scrape the corn off with a knife and it all falls into the pan!  And takes no time at all.  And onto the corn pesto.  Stud and I are huge pesto fans, so I will try any and every version.  I already posted about classic pesto, and I have a recipe for a tomato pesto that I haven't made to post yet, and then I saw this corn pesto when I was reading my Bon Appetit.  With bacon!!  Must try.

Corn Pesto

4 bacon slices cut into small pieces

5-6 ears of corn, corn removed from the cob

1 garlic clove

1 1/4 t. kosher salt

3/4 t. black pepper

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

1/3 c. pine nuts, toasted

1/3 c. olive oil

1 lb tagliatelle or fettuccine

3/4 c. fresh basil leaves

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy.  Remove from skillet and drain the fat until there is about 1 T. left in the pan.  Add the garlic and saute for a moment and then add the corn, salt, and pepper.  Cook until corn is tender, about four minutes.  Transfer about 1/3 of the corn to a small bowl and set aside, add the rest to a food processor.  Add the Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.  With the food processor running, adding the olive oil and blend until the pesto is smooth.  Cook the pasta according to package instructions.  When the pasta is finished, add it back to the pot with the corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, bacon, and chopped basil leaves.  Toss together until well combined.  And enjoy!

Stud LOVED this recipe.  I thought it was interesting and definitely something different, a good way to enjoy some summer corn.  We didn't have any fresh basil so I just threw some basil pesto into the food processor and I think the fresh basil would really add a lot.  Also, it made a ton!  The Bon Appetit recipe calls for 8oz of pasta and we used a whole pound and it was still a lot of sauce.  So you could probably cut back to 4-5 ears of corn, or make more pasta.  And have more leftovers!