I wanted to try something different - I'm doing that a lot lately. I came across this recipe from Rachael Ray - and it was delicious! ALL my kids (6, 10, 13, 15) RAVED about this - even days after we had it.
The "new" things we tried were sweet cherry peppers - which I had each of my kids try and approve before I added them - because - duh - and leeks - which I have actually tried before (I tried them raw and threw them out immediately) BUT I went for it and cooked them and was pleasantly surprised. They are a relative of onions - so it brings a mild onion flavor to the dish - my kids actually thought they were green onions after trying their first bite of the completed dish.
A few things... I couldn't find peppadews - ANYWHERE. I looked up a good substitute for peppadews and found that sweet cherry peppers are very similar (they are pickled - usually near the pickles!) When I seeded and deveined my jalapenos - I made sure to taste each one to make sure they were all mild - and that we didn't get one that was too spicy - I'm cooking for kids after all.
RR gives you a tip on how to get the corn off the cob without it going everywhere. My tip is to use a bundt pan - it is the bomb.
Also - because there is essentially no "sauce" it was tricky to incorporate the spaghetti with everything else - so I ended up spooning extra of the "toppings" on the spaghetti.
Rachael Ray's Spaghetti with Bacon, Corn, Jalapenos and Peppadews
1 pound spaghetti
3 large ears of corn on the cob, husked
3 jalapeno peppers
¾ pound bacon (12 meaty slices)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 leeks, trimmed of tough tops, halved lengthwise, rinsed well by fanning under running water
Salt and pepper
5-6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped or grated
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
½ cup flat parsley, chopped
½ cup drained sweet or hot peppadews, chopped, plus a fat splash of their brine
Grated Parm cheese to toss and pass at table
Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta.
Invert a small bowl inside a large mixing bowl and stand corn on end of cob, using sharp knife cut off kernels, collecting them in larger bowl.
For spicy pasta, finely chop jalapenos with seeds and ribs; for milder pasta, seed and remove ribs from peppers, then finely chop.
Chop cold bacon into ¼-inch dice.
Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, add bacon and render 3 minutes, then add corn and leeks and lightly brown 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (If your bacon was meaty, it should not be necessary to drain the fat.) Add garlic and jalapenos to corn and reduce heat to medium-low.
Salt water and cook pasta to 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve about ½-2/3 cup starchy cooking liquid (half a mugful) before removing pasta.
Add drained pasta to corn and leeks and combine with starchy liquid, thyme, parsley, and peppadews and their brine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with parm for passing.
Invert a small bowl inside a large mixing bowl and stand corn on end of cob, using sharp knife cut off kernels, collecting them in larger bowl.
For spicy pasta, finely chop jalapenos with seeds and ribs; for milder pasta, seed and remove ribs from peppers, then finely chop.
Chop cold bacon into ¼-inch dice.
Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, add bacon and render 3 minutes, then add corn and leeks and lightly brown 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (If your bacon was meaty, it should not be necessary to drain the fat.) Add garlic and jalapenos to corn and reduce heat to medium-low.
Salt water and cook pasta to 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve about ½-2/3 cup starchy cooking liquid (half a mugful) before removing pasta.
Add drained pasta to corn and leeks and combine with starchy liquid, thyme, parsley, and peppadews and their brine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with parm for passing.
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