Look away, Italians! This is a quick and easy dinner recipe that comes together in around 30 minutes. The smoky chorizo pairs perfectly with the sweet corn, aromatic chive and salty parmesan.

So, it’s officially been over 2 years since I posted on this blog. I could blame a combination of factors – work, moving house… but honestly, I just fell out of rhythm a bit, and lost a little bit of my spark for cooking. But after moving into our beautiful, newly renovated house with the kitchen of my dreams, the spark has well and truly returned, and I’m trying to start this blog again.

Now we’re officially in September, I wanted my first recipe to really reflect the season we’re in. Summer is well and truly gone, and I’m craving warm, hearty dishes that are full of flavour. We’re also well and truly in sweetcorn season, so I wanted this dish to hero it.

This was easily one of the nicest pastas I’ve made in a long time. The smoky, meaty chorizo is the perfect partner for charred corn. The carbonara-like sauce adds a salty, creamy element – finished off with some shallot and chives. And yes, I’m deliberately calling this ‘not-a-carbonara’ as I’m aware Italians are rather precious over their traditional version, and my Italian best friend would kill me.

The recipe itself is super easy to make – you char the sweetcorn first, without oil, until it starts to get beautifully charred. Next, the chorizo gets cooked on a medium heat till it crisps up slightly and lets out all of its beautiful red oil. Next, shallots are cooked in the chorizo oil to get that extra smokey flavour, followed by as much garlic as you like. That all gets mixed in with pasta, and an egg yolk and parmesan mix.

A couple of considerations:

• I’ve deliberately chosen rigatoni for this pasta dish as, unlike spaghetti, the holes in it allow for you to get bites of chorizo and corn at the same time. With spaghetti or linguine, you’d struggle to get any chorizo or corn in your mouth – which would result in a (rather delicious) pile at the end of your meal.
• The key to making a smooth carbonara sauce is to be patient! Never add it straight to a hot pan – and never have the heat on. Let the pan cool for 30 seconds, then gently add the sauce and stir in. You’re aiming for a creamy consistency, so the egg is cooked, but do this part too fast and you’ll end up with scrambled egg.
• Always save some pasta water! Pasta water is salty and starchy, which means it’s great at making pasta sauces silky.

I hope you enjoy! If you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Creamy chorizo and corn not-a-carbonara

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Serves: 2 (very generous) portions, or 3 with a side salad

Ingredients

• 200 grams rigatoni or other tube pasta
• 200 grams cooking chorizo (2 sausages)
• 4 corn cobettes
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 whole large egg
• 75g parmesan, finely grated
• 1.5 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
• 4 tbsp chives, finely snipped

Method

1. Stand each corn cobbette upright and cut the kernels away with a sharp knife.
2. Preheat a large frying pan on a high heat. Once hot, add the corn kernels to the pan – no oil required. Leave them undisturbed for a minute at a time so they blister and catch in patches rather than steaming. Once lovely and charred, transfer to a plate.
3. Next, finely dice the chorizo. Turn the heat to medium-low, then add the chorizo. Cook gently and let the oil come out until the pan is a gorgeous orange colour and the chorizo is crispy. Once cooked, use a slotted spoon and place on the same plate as the corn. Don’t throw the oil away!
4. Finely dice 2 shallots and place in the pan, full of the chorizo oil, over a medium-low heat until softened, but not browned. About 2 minutes before the shallots are fully cooked, mince and add 2 cloves of garlic to the pan. Once cooked, pour onto the chorizo and corn mix.
5. Next, boil some water in a kettle and place in a pot over a medium-high heat. Season lightly with salt (as the chorizo is salty), then add 200 grams of rigatoni or your chosen pasta. Cook for 10 minutes or for the amount directed on the packet. (Note: make sure to save a cupful of pasta water before draining).
6. While the pasta is cooking, make the egg yolk base. Carefully separate 4 egg yolks from the whites and add to a bowl. Add one whole egg. Whisk, then add in 75g of grated parmesan and 1.5 tsp of black pepper. Mix well, then add a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce slightly.
7. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the pan. Add the chorizo, corn and shallot mix and stir.
8. Now’s the tricky part. Turn the heat off and leave to cool for at least 30 seconds. Gently add the egg mixture. Stir hard and constantly until the mixture thickens in the pasta but doesn’t curdle. If it’s a little claggy, add more pasta water until you have a rich, smooth sauce.
9. Garnish with chives.
10. Serve!

Hungry for more? Why not try my sardine spaghetti with chilli oil, my (almost) authentic carbonara, or my pea pesto spaghetti.