Relish Review: Corn and tortellini toss

Relish's corn and tortellini toss is an easy, light and tasty dish that's perfect for summer. (T-G Photo by John Philleo) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

When browsing through the latest "Relish," which will be included in the June 12 Times-Gazette, I was immediately drawn to the first two recipes, which were both quick pasta tosses.

I love quick and I love Italian, particularly pasta dishes with lots of cheese. After a long day at work, who's in the mood to fuss over a complicated dinner? Not me. Yet, most of the time, I still want to enjoy a homemade, comforting, fresh, and flavorful meal.

The first recipe that drew my attention is called "Penne with eggplant, thyme and goat cheese." My mouth was practically watering after reading the ingredients, which include sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese (two of my all-time favorite things), but I opted to go for the second recipe that caught my attention, for the simple sake of saving time.

"Corn and tortellini toss" had fewer ingredients and seemed as if it would be a bit quicker to make.

I headed out to the grocery store and was pleased that I was out of there in less than 10 minutes, and I spent less than $18 on everything.

The recipe calls for cheese and roasted garlic tortellini (which I substituted with three-cheese tortellini), red onion, fresh garlic, corn, fresh basil, grape tomatoes and crumbled ricotta salata or grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The former may be a little more difficult to find, which happened in my case, but I was very pleased with the Parmigiano Reggiano, so don't fret if you can't find the crumbled ricotta.

I immediately went to our test kitchen and began preparing the light dish that's perfect for summer. While I was waiting for the water to boil, I chopped the onion and garlic. Once the pasta was cooking, I sauteed the onion, garlic and corn in a skillet, and chopped up the fragrant fresh basil.

Once the onion, garlic and corn were ready, after about 10 minutes on the skillet, I added the basil, cooked pasta and a little bit of reserved water from the pasta and cooked until everything was thoroughly heated, for about five more minutes. Once that was set, I added the tomatoes, a couple handfuls of cheese, and tossed. The aroma was awesome and several people from the office made their way into the kitchen to find out what snack they'd be getting this time.

I have to admit, I was a little concerned that without an actual "sauce" the dish might lack in flavor, but upon tasting the toss, my worries went away immediately. The fresh basil, garlic, Parmigiano and ripe and juicy grape tomatoes provided plenty of the "delish" factor. It tasted as if I had put much more effort into it than I actually did.

Personally, I wouldn't change anything about this dish, however, I would be curious to try it with the other cheese, because I bet it would certainly add a unique twist to the dish.

Furthermore, if you'd like to fancy the dish up with a little bit of meat, I would go with the Italian classic, prosciutto.

From shopping time to serving time, Relish's corn and tortellini toss took less than 45 minutes to make -- and that includes drive time! Give this one a try next week. You'll be glad you did!

Corn and tortellini toss, from the June 2008 edition of Relish

1 (8-ounce) package cheese and roasted garlic tortellini

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups fresh corn

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 tablespoons crumbled ricotta salata or grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute five minutes. Add corn; cook five minutes or until tender.

Add basil, cooked pasta and reserved pasta cooking water to skillet. Cook until thoroughly heated. Top with tomato halves and cheese. Serves four.

-- Sadie Killian-Fowler, who is originally from Saratoga County in upstate New York, is a graduate of Syracuse University. She is currently the lifestyles editor of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette. She may be reached at (931) 684-1200 or via e-mail at sfowler@t-g.com.