Sweet corn is one of those foods that if it’s not fresh, it may not be worth eating. Upon picking, the sugars begin to turn to starch. Sweet corn, freshly picked and eaten raw, is divine. The author of this recipe points out that if it’s made with good, fresh sweet corn, it makes for an “ambrosial” dish.
4 ears fresh-picked sweet corn 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 Tbs. olive oil 1/2 Tbs. butter salt 6-8 cups any delicate vegetable broth 2 cups Arborio rice 3/4 cups dry white wine 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 2 Tbs. chopped flat-leaf parsley additional parmesan cheese and parsley for the table
Husk and wash the corn and peel away all the silk, then slice the kernels off the cobs with a sharp knife. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of corn kernels. Spin about a cup of the kernels in a food processor until they are roughly chopped and milky. Scrape out the chopped corn and return it to the remaining whole kernels.
In a large non-stick saute pan, saute the onion in the olive oil and butter with a pinch of salt until it is translucent and tender. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth and regulate the flame to keep it just below a simmer. Add the Arborio rice to the onions and stir it gently in the pan for about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir until it is absorbed.
Add a soup ladle of the heated broth and all the corn kernels to the rice and stir, keeping it just at a simmer. Keep stirring until the broth is nearly all absorbed in to the rice, then add another ladle. Continue this way, adding a little broth at a time and stirring constantly, or at least very frequently, with a wooden spoon for about 25 minutes, or until the rice is al dente. It should form a creamy sauce around grains that are no longer crunchy, but still firm.
When the rice is just achieving this perfection of tender-firmness, stir in a last ladle of broth, the grated Parmesan cheese, and 2 Tbs. of chopped parsley. Serve the risotto at once in warm, shallow bowls of generous size, and pass additional parsley and grated parmesan.
