Grilled Corn and Poblano Pasta

I came up with this recipe the other day by accident! I received a bunch of poblano peppers and sweet corn in my CSA box this week, and my original plan was to make creamy poblano and corn tacos. As I was pouring in the cream for the poblanos, the heavy cream bottle slipped out of my hand and the entire bottle emptied out. It was now way too liquidy for tacos. But, it did taste delicious, and I was determined to make it into something.

My first thought was using it as a sauce for enchiladas, but I didn’t have any corn tortillas. So, the next thing I thought of was to make a pasta out of it, and I always have pasta on hand. I was not sure how this would work out, but I am always up for trying something new. And, some of my most favorite recipes have come out of mistakes like this.

And, luckily, this was a recipe fail gone right! Everyone in my family had multiple helpings, and I will definitely be making this again. I hope you enjoy this mishap as much as my family did!

Print Recipe

Poblano and Grilled Corn Pasta

The perfect spicy, sweet and creamy summer pasta

Ingredients

• 5-6 poblano peppers medium in size
• 3 ears of corn
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 2 cups heavy cream
• salt to taste
• 1 lb pasta

Instructions

• Move one of the oven racks to the top spot. Heat the oven to broil. Put the poblano peppers on a baking sheet and place in the oven on the top rack. Broil until charred, rotating the pepper to get all sides. *Anytime you use the broiler you must keep an eye on it as it is a matter of seconds from when it goes from charred to burnt. So, do not walk away from the kitchen during this time. Place the charred poblanos in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Meanwhile, prepare the corn. To partially shuck the corn, pull back the husks but don't rip them off. Remove the corn silk and and then fold the husks back. Grill for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove the husks and grill for another 5 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove the corn from the grill and cut off the kernels. Set aside.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl of poblanos. Remove the skin from each poblano. Cut off the stem and remove the seeds. Slice the poblanos into thin strips and set aside.
• In a large pan or braiser, heat the butter and onions over medium heat. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the poblanos and tequila. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream and cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Then add in the corn and salt to taste.
• Meanwhile, fill a pasta pot or large sauce pot 3/4 of the way with water. Add salt (salt like the ocean). Put the pot on high heat until it starts boiling then add the pasta and follow the cooking instructions on the packaging. I usually set my timer to one minute less of what it says for al dente as it will cook for a minute in the sauce.
• Once the pasta is cooked, add a small ladle of the pasta water to the poblano corn sauce. Then add the pasta to the sauce. Stir and let the pasta cook for a minute in the sauce. Remove from heat and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.