Am I ever milking these last few weeks of fresh local sweet corn! Here it is transformed into a vibrant sauce for prepared cheese ravioli -- and features the unexpected warm flavors from curry. Topped with salty pancetta and tarragon breadcrumbs and a few grates of lemon zest, this sweet corn ravioli is the perfect dish to bridge seasons -- or any season at that.
No local fresh corn? Frozen or canned will suffice.
I get so much of my inspiration for recipes from looking at restaurant menus -- many that I can only dream of dining at. I'd not pondered the concept of using curry with corn until I saw it on a menu and then started thinking about that tin of French influenced vadouvan curry that I have in my cupboard and how nicely it would come together with sweet corn, fresh tarragon and the touch of Dijon. (Oui Oui!) No worries if you don't have vadouvan in your spice stash, a traditional mild curry will impart the same effect.
(I did have corn ravioli some place in Napa, but it was IN the ravioli -- that's too much work for The Savory Tart, so conveniently Trader Joe's came through with their 4 Cheese Ravioli and the corn made it to the OUTSIDE of the ravioli.)
Vadouvan is a curry that evolved in the southern part of India call Pondicherry previously colonized by the French. It still retains French colonial influence. The flavor profile leans "less spice" and "more aromatic". Earthy with tones of sweet onion.
Serve this creamy corn ravioli with a crusty loaf of French bread and a green salad dressed with a vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- cheese/ricotta ravioli
- pancetta
- shallots
- garlic cloves
- sweet corn
- vadouvan or curry powder
- whole milk
- chicken broth
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper
- white wine vinegar
- honey
- lemon zest
- day-old bread
- fresh tarragon or dried
- red pepper flakes
- olive oil
- Dijon mustard
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté pancetta until lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat.
To the same skillet over medium heat, sauté shallots until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute.
Add the corn and curry powder. Continue to sauté until corn is tender.
Stir in milk, chicken stock, reserved corn milk (see hint below), salt and peppers. Bring mixture to a simmer, until thickened. Remove ½ cup of the mixture and reserve.
Transfer skillet contents to a blender. Purée until smooth. Stir in the reserved corn mixture.
Purée until smooth. Stir in the reserved corn mixture.
Toss with ravioli. Serve topped with tarragon breadcrumbs, pancetta and a few gratings of lemon zest.
Prepare Tarragon Bread Crumbs:
In a food processor or blender, pulse the first four ingredients. With the machine running add the olive oil and Dijon mustard until combined and coarse breadcrumbs form. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the breadcrumbs to a medium skillet set over medium heat and toast until lightly toasted. Store in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.
Jump to RecipeHint:
To extract the corn milk from the corn cobs. After cutting off the corn kernels, take the back of the knife and run it down the corn cob to extract all that sweet milky goodness.
Substitutions & Variations
- Pancetta - Substitute with bacon, prosciutto or guanciale
- Fresh Sweet Corn - Substitute with 16 oz. frozen sweet corn or 2 cups of drained canned sweet corn
- Milk - The next time I make this, I am going to use buttermilk.
- Cheese Ravioli - While ravioli serves this best, replace with another dense pasta and top with a dollop of ricotta cheese
- Streamline the process for the Tarragon Breadcrumbs - Crush 1-½ cups herbed croutons and add one teaspoon of dried tarragon.
- Lemon Zest - Substitute orange zest -- it works so well with tarragon
- Vadouvan - Vadouvan is a French curry powder that is milder and sweeter than Indian curry powder. Substitute vadouvan with a mild Indian curry powder.
- Make it Vegetarian - To replace those salty bits of pancetta, replace with capers or diced sun-dried tomatoes.
- Make it Vegan - There are several brands of vegan ravioli. Kite Hill offers a vegan mushroom ravioli that would bring a welcome earthiness. Or simply use a large tubular pasta like Rigatoni or Paccheri. Swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth. Swap out the pancetta for capers or sun-dried tomatoes. Swap out the milk for almond milk.
Equipment
- large skillet
- pasta or stock pot
- food processor or blender
Storage
Store sweet corn ravioli in an airtight container the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store the sweet corn sauce separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze the sweet corn sauce in an airtight container for up to three months.
Recent Recipes
Trending Recipes
🍽️ Recipe
Sweet Corn Ravioli with Pancetta and Tarragon Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 20 ounces of cheese/ricotta ravioli cooked according to package directions
- 4 ounces pancetta
- ¾ cup chopped shallots
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels plus scrapings from corn cob reserved (about 3 cobs)*
- 1½ tablespoons vadouvan or curry powder
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Tarragon Breadcrumbs (recipe follows0
- lemon zest
Tarragon and Citrus Breadcrumbs
- 1-½ cups torn up day-old French bread or coarse bread
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard optional
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté pancetta until lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat.
- To the same skillet over medium heat, sauté shallots until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the corn and curry powder. Continue to sauté until corn is tender.
- Stir in milk, chicken stock, reserved corn milk*, salt and peppers. Bring mixture to a simmer, until thickened. Remove ½ cup of the mixture and reserve.
- Transfer skillet contents to a blender. Purée until smooth. Stir in the reserved corn mixture.
- Toss with ravioli. Serve topped with tarragon breadcrumbs, pancetta and a few gratings of lemon zest.
- Prepare tarragon breadcrumbs: In a food processor or blender, pulse the first four ingredients. With the machine running add the olive oil and Dijon mustard until combined and coarse breadcrumbs form. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the breadcrumbs to a medium skillet set over medium heat and toast until lightly toasted. Store in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.
Comments
No Comments