Corn Milk Miso Tortellini
Treat tortellini to the flavorful diamond of the season, corn milk—it’s basically liquid gold. Also, it is starchy and when you make a sauce with it as in this recipe, it gets creamy and glossy and clings to every piece.
Ingredients
⅓ cup Corn Milk
1 cup corn kernels (from 2 cobs or use frozen)
½ cup water
Pinch of salt
1 pound of tube pasta
3 tablespoons butter
10 ounces cheese tortellini
¼ cup scallion whites (about 2)
2 tablespoons white miso
Parmesan Reggiano for garnish
Chives for garnish
For the Calabrian Chili Breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup panko
1 teaspoon Calabrian chilis
¼ cup parmesean
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Add corn, water, and a pinch of salt to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add a mesh strainer over a bowl and strain. Keep both the pulp and the milk. Set aside.
Melt butter in a cold, heavy-bottomed rounded pan over medium heat. Stir often until it begins to foam and turn golden brown. A couple of minutes before it is dark golden brown, add the scallion whites and swirl for about 30-seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in the miso. It is okay if it is thick; it will thin out with the corn milk. Whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of corn milk until it is creamy and glossy. Set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a salted pot of water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook until for 3-4 minutes, until 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain and then add to the miso corn mixture. Stir to combine.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of the corn pulp and chives, and stir to combine. Pour into an oven-safe dish, top with Calabrian chili breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
For the breadcrumbs: In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the panko and Calabrian chilies and stir to combine. Toast until golden brown. Season with salt, remove from heat, and pour into a bowl to cool for about five minutes. Once cool, toss with Parmesan and set aside. You want to wait for the breadcrumbs to cool so the Parmesan does not clump.
Turn on the broiler and toast until golden and bubbly. Enjoy!