Creamy Fettuccine With Corn and Arugula

Not much cooking for me over the weekend.  On Friday, two of my friends hosted a Spanish-themed wine night.  The homemade empanadas and Tortilla Espanola were highlights of the evening.  As were the Swedish (or Dutch?) wine charms :)

On Saturday, KK and I drove to Delaware with his parents  to visit his brother and sister-in-law.  They moved down to Delaware a year ago, and we hadn't seen the house since move-in day when there were boxes all over the house.  My sister-in-law has done an excellent job decorating the house - one day, KK and I will move into a house of our own and we'll surely "hire" her to decorate for us!  KK's mom made a super spicy lasagna for dinner.  There was too much food, so KK's brother and sister-in-law will have to enjoy the Pizza Spaghetti we brought for them another night.

Cooking notes: This meal came together very quickly.  I started on the sauce too soon, so make sure to wait until the pasta is cooking before starting with Step 2.  I only had 1 cup of arugula, but you should definitely use 2 like the original recipe calls for.  I used frozen corn, thawing it under warm water for a minute before cooking.  Since the recipe called for dry white wine, we paired this meal with The Wild - 2010 Chardonnay from the North Fork's Roanoke Vineyards.

Creamy Fettuccine With Corn and Arugula

Adapted from Real Simple
Serves 2
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
12 oz fettuccine (3⁄4 box)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts), cut into thin half-moons
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt and black pepper, divided
1/2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
1 1/2 c corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c dry white wine
3/4 c. light cream
2 c baby arugula
1/4 c grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Directions
1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain.

2. Once the hot water boils, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Add the leeks, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add the corn and wine. Simmer until the corn is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cream.

5. Add the pasta, season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and toss to combine.  Fold in the arugula, cheese, and crushed red pepper before serving.