Fregola with Fresh Corn, Pancetta, and Basil
From the Pasta Treasure Trove
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Fregola with Fresh Corn, Pancetta, and Basil
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Fregola with Fresh Corn, Pancetta, and Basil
4-6 servings
Summer in a bowl. There are so many beautiful couples in this recipe: basil and corn; corn and pancetta; pasta and basil; olive oil and Parmigiano; pasta and butter; corn and butter … I could go on! When you bring them all together, it’s an epic outdoor concert on a balmy night. Perfection! You can find fregola at Italian specialty stores and online; my favorite brand is Rusticella d’Abruzzo because it’s extra toasty & chewy. Please don’t sub with Israeli.
Ingredients
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves
2 small shallots
4 ounces pancetta, in one piece (not pre-sliced in rounds)
1 small head fennel
1 teaspoon piment d'Espelette or Aleppo pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fregola, ditalini, anelli, or small ridged shells
3 cups corn kernels, from 3 to 4 large ears
½ cup grated Parmigiano, plus more for serving
Large handful basil
Calabrian chile paste and sour cream (or creme fraiche), for serving
Bring a tall pot of water to a boil for the fregola and season it generously with salt. Thinly slice the garlic and shallots and cut the pancetta into 1 x ½-inch pieces.
In a medium Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet, melt butter and 2 tablespoons oil over medium. When bubbling, add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until about half the fat has rendered, the edges and surfaces are golden brown, and pieces are just starting to crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a small plate and set aside for finishing the sauce.
While the pancetta is cooking, trim the fennel, then cut it into small dice; reserve the tender fronds from the stalks and/or inside of the bulb (you can prep the fennel while the pasta water is heating up, if you don’t want to divide your attention). Add the fennel to the renderings in the pot, along with the garlic and shallot. Increase heat to medium-high. Season with piment d’esplette and a few cranks of black pepper and cook, stirring often, until the aromatics are tender and very light golden, 6 to 8 minutes (don’t let the garlic burn). Taste the vegetable mixture and add salt if needed (the pancetta renderings are salty). Roughly chop the basil and set aside (you should have a generous ½ cup). This is a good time to remove the kernels from the corn.
Cook fregola until very al dente, 2 or 3 minutes shy of package instructions. Scoop out 2 cups pasta water, then drain the pasta. Pour about half the pasta water into the aromatics, then add the drained pasta and the corn and return to a simmer over medium heat. Drizzle the sauce with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook, stirring continuously and gradually adding the Parm, until sauce thickens enough to gloriously coat the ingredients, and the corn is tender, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the chopped basil and the reserved pancetta.
Serve pasta topped with extra Parm, a scooch of chile paste, dollop of sour cream and some fennel fronds.
From the Market
Shallots
Pancetta
Fennel
Piment d'Espelette
Fregola
Fresh corn
Basil
Calabrian chile paste
Sour cream
Spin It
A small onion or leek can be substituted for shallots
Guanciale or slab bacon can replace the pancetta
To make this vegetarian, omit the pancetta and increase the butter and the olive oil by 1 tablespoon each
Use celery or Swiss chard stems instead of the fennel
Ditalini, small shells, orecchiette, or anelli can replace the fregola
Use halved cherry tomatoes instead of the corn, or try this with fresh shelled peas or sugar snap peas
Used crushed red pepper flakes to add spiciness if you don’t have Calabrian chile paste
Creme fraiche or Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream
At Home
Salt and pepper
Butter
Olive oil
Garlic
Parmigiano
Spin It
Use all olive oil or all butter if you’re missing one or the other
Grana padano or pecorino can replace the parm
Made this with orecchiette and it was amazing! Love how your recipes sound so simple but deliver so much flavor. My wife said “there’s a surprise in every bite” and I agree!