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Since planting my own sweet corn, I’ve had a taste for the kernels prepared in a way that I first tried in college.

At that time, I learned to enjoy corn over pasta because it was an inexpensive meal. I often worked a couple of jobs to cover living expenses and tuition. Money was always tight, and sometimes the menu was bare.

One time an old roommate and I had nothing left to eat but a little bit of spaghetti noodles and a can of sweet corn. So we prepared the noodles and covered them with sweet corn and a little butter.

Nowadays, I make a white sauce with corn for my spaghetti. Here’s what you’ll need to prepare this spaghetti with corn sauce:

2 ears of sweet corn already cooked
¼ cup of milk
1 tablespoon of flour
½ cup of water
¼ cup of chicken broth
¼ teaspoon of salt
Dash of chili powder (optional)
Dash of pepper (also optional)
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoons of butter
2-4 servings of spaghetti noodles

Prepare your sweet corn ahead of time by boiling it in a pot of water for about 45 minutes. You can refrigerate the corn or cut off the kernels when it’s cool.

If you don’t have fresh corn, use one 15-ounce can of sweet corn, yellow or white, draining the water from the can.

Begin cooking your spaghetti noodles according to directions. While the noodles cook, you can start the sauce.

Place the butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat and allow the butter to melt. Then, add your chicken broth, minced garlic, milk and the flour. (Be sure to sift the flour to avoid clumps in the sauce.)

Stir the sauce (a whisk helps keep the clumps from forming) often as it begins to thicken. Add your water, salt, other seasonings and corn.

Continue to stir with your whisk, and if the sauce becomes too thick too quickly, just add a little more water or milk. You can make the sauce thick or thin; some folks like a soupy sauce, so that’s up to you. I prefer mine somewhere in between.

As you’re preparing your sauce, check the spaghetti, which most likely has finished cooking. Drain your noodles. Put a serving of noodles on your plate and pour sauce over your spaghetti. You can add some cubed apple pieces and some parmesan cheese.

I enjoy this recipe and prepare it as a way of remembering a very lean time in college.
   – Bobbie Whitehead