Never Discard That Parmesan Rind – It Is an Excellent Stock Cube – Cooking Guide

The hard ends of Parmesan cheese represent the best zero-waste hack – like a cheesy stock cube, they enhance soups, gravies and all sorts, adding incredible taste in the form of umami depth and creamy texture. Stored in the fridge or freezer, they keep almost indefinitely. Today's culinary creation incorporates them in a budget-friendly, creamy corn orzo that transforms a few simple ingredients into comforting autumn fare.

Corn and Orzo Delight

This dish came about by chance, and had everyone asking for seconds. Originally, the idea was a traditional tomato pasta to finish that half-bag in the pantry left over from making a pasta salad, but desired a dish fitting the season. Fresh corn cobs are one of autumn’s fleeting treats, similar to asparagus in seasonality, and while they are available I enjoy them often. In the spirit of this column, I thought it would be beneficial to use the whole cob – not just the sweet kernels, but also the thick, tasty residue and the used cores. That extra flavour, paired with a parmesan rind, onion, butter and a splash of cream or water, transforms a one ear of corn into a generous and very fulfilling dish for two.

Serves 2 generously

• 1 fresh corn cob
• 50 grams of butter
• One medium-sized onion, skinned and diced
• Two cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 250g orzo
• 40-50g parmesan rind – grate off and reserve any remaining cheese
• 100ml double cream, if desired
• Salt and black pepper
• High-quality olive oil, to finish

To get the most flavour from your corn cob, stand it on one end, cut off the kernels in long strips, then break up the cobs by hand. After that, using a spoon, swiftly remove the starchy, milky pulp from the cobs into a bowl. Place the used cobs in a pot with 750 milliliters of water, heat until boiling, then reduce to a gentle boil, put a lid on and leave to cook on a low heat.

Heat the butter in a separate big skillet on a medium-low heat. Put in the onion and garlic, sauté softly, mixing, for about 5 minutes, until soft, then include the corn and pasta, and saute for three minutes. Introduce the cheese rind, double cream, if using, and the saved corn residue, bring to a simmer and simmer for two minutes, stirring to make sure the mix doesn’t catch and burn.

Drain the warm corn broth into the pasta pot, heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer and simmer, stirring frequently, for about seven minutes, until the orzo is al dente and the combination is smooth and fluid; include more water if needed. Adjust flavors with salt and pepper, and serve topped with additional butter and a dusting of the reserved grated parmesan.