Pasta with Corn, Cooked Tomatoes, and Garlic

I saw this super appetizing recipe on Food52 for Pasta with Corn, Slow-Cooked Tomatoes and Garlic Confit. It sounded so flavorful that I just had to try it. Of course because I made it spur of the moment, I did make some substitutions and alterations, heh. So without further ado, here’s my slightly adapted version of this recipe (including halving it), though all credit is due to the original recipe creator.

PASTA WITH CORN, COOKED TOMATOES, AND GARLIC

Serves 4

• 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled (for the garlic confit)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic oil (from the pot of garlic confit)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ear of corn kernels
• 1/2 pound pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2.5 tablespoons garlic oil (again, from the garlic confit)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/6 cup parsley leaves

1. With a knife, puncture a tiny hole in each clove of garlic. Place cloves in a small pot and cover with the olive oil. If the cloves aren’t completely covered, add a splash more oil. Bring to a boil. Turn down as low as the flame will go. Simmer until a paring knife slides in easily (about 15 to 20 minutes). Take off the heat and cool in the pan. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 250° F. Prepare your sheet pan, I covered it with foil. Cut the tomatoes into fourths. Place the whole tomatoes on the pan and toss with garlic oil, salt, and herbs (I used any seasoning that I had on hand). Place in the preheated oven. Check after 1 1/2 hours to make sure they’re not burning. Take them out of the oven when they’ve shriveled up and darkened in color. They should still be moist inside. This takes 2 to 3 hours. Set aside.

3. Shuck your corn to separate the kernels from the cob. Hold the ear of corn by the stem and saw the knife back and forth from top to bottom to separate the kernels then set aside. Alternatively, you can use frozen or canned corn.

4. Place a large pot of water on high heat for the pasta. Add salt.

5. While waiting for the water to boil, spoon 2.5 tablespoons garlic oil (from the cooled pot of garlic confit) into a medium-sized pot. Squeeze all garlic cloves out of their skins into the oil in the pot. With the back of a wooden spoon, break the cloves apart a bit into the olive oil. Warm for 30 seconds on medium heat. Add corn and salt. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn heat down to low. Add tomatoes. Stir for one minute. Taste. It will probably need a bit more salt. Adjust as needed. Pour into a large serving bowl. Set aside.

6. When the water is boiling, slide in your pasta. Cook until al dente. Add drained pasta to the tomato/corn/garlic mixture. Toss. Add a few more splashes of garlic oil. Taste. Add more salt or garlic oil as needed. Garnish with parsley.

Though mine did not turn out as confit-y as I hoped, I had a great garlic infused oil that made my pasta very flavorful. The herbed tomatoes and cooked corn was nice and light with the garlicky oil and pasta. It’s something nice and easy to eat on a summer night or pack the next day for lunch!