Conchiglie rigate with corn, anchovy and mint
SERVES 6
Deploying anchovies is a sure-fire way of adding great depth of flavour to the simplest dish.
80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
12 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1¼ tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
3 corn cobs, kernels removed
500 gm medium-sized dried shell pasta (such as conchiglie rigate)
40 gm (1½ cups) finely grated pecorino, plus extra to serve
50 gm unsalted butter
1½ cups loosely packed mint, coarsely chopped Roasted pepitas, to serve
1 Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add anchovies, garlic and chilli, season to taste, and fry until garlic is translucent
(2-3 minutes). Add corn and fry, stirring often, until just cooked (1-2 minutes).
2 Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente
(10-12 minutes). Strain, reserving 2-3 tbsp cooking water, then add pasta to corn mixture along with pecorino, butter, mint and enough reserved cooking water to loosen mixture, toss well to combine, season to taste, top with pepitas and serve with extra pecorino.