🔗 Share this article

The hard ends of Parmesan cheese are the best sustainable kitchen trick – like a cheesy stock cube, they enrich soups, gravies and various dishes, adding incredible taste in the form of umami depth and creamy texture. Stored in the fridge or freezer, they keep almost indefinitely. Today's culinary creation incorporates them in a budget-friendly, creamy corn orzo that transforms a few simple ingredients into cozy fall food.

Creamed Corn Orzo

The meal was a happy accident, and had everyone asking for seconds. Originally, the idea was a classic tomato orzo to use up that half-bag in the cupboard remaining after making a cold pasta dish, but desired a dish fitting the season. Sweet corn on the cob are one of autumn’s fleeting treats, as short-lived as asparagus, and during their brief season I enjoy them often. Following this approach, I believed it would be good to utilize the entire corn – not just the sweet kernels, but also the starchy, flavourful pulp and the used cores. The additional taste, paired with a parmesan rind, shallot, butter and a dash of cream or liquid, turns a single cob into a generous and very fulfilling meal for two people.

Feeds two people well

• 1 fresh corn cob
• 50g butter
• One medium-sized onion, peeled and finely chopped
• Two cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 250 grams of orzo pasta
• 40-50g parmesan rind – grate off and reserve any remaining cheese
• 100 milliliters of heavy cream, if desired
• Sea salt and ground pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to finish

To get the most flavour from your corn cob, stand it on one end, slice off the kernels lengthwise, then separate the cobs manually. After that, with a spoon, quickly scrape the starchy, milky pulp from the cobs into a container. Put the spent cobs in a pan with 750 milliliters of water, heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, put a lid on and allow to simmer slowly.

Heat the butter in a separate big skillet on a moderate flame. Put in the onion and garlic, sauté softly, stirring, for about five minutes, until tender, then include the corn and pasta, and cook for three more minutes. Introduce the cheese rind, double cream, if using, and the saved corn residue, heat until bubbling and cook for two minutes, mixing to prevent sticking or burning.

Strain the hot corn stock into the orzo pan, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for about seven minutes, until the orzo is al dente and the combination is smooth and fluid; add a little extra water to loosen. Season to taste, and dish up topped with additional butter and a dusting of the reserved grated parmesan.