I can’t remember when I first learned that traditional Southern recipes for creamed corn depend not on the addition of actual cream, but on the gorgeous milky pulp that comes when you scrape the cobs (with the back of a knife or with a device made just for this purpose). But it changed the way I thought about the dish — and about sweet summer corn in general.

Because as delicious as the combination of corn and cream can be, the corn can end up getting a little overpowered; I prefer to find a minimal number of partners and cooking techniques that amplify, rather than obscure, corn’s pure flavor. That’s especially true when the corn is farm-fresh, and the flavor is as beautiful as it will ever be. Save the cream, I say, for times when the corn isn’t at its best (such as when it’s out of season and/or frozen).

In that vein, my favorite corn recipe is something I’ve been making for a few years now, usually the first week that local corn shows up in farmers markets. I based it on that Southern technique but instead employ one of my favorite multi-use tools — a box grater — to extract the milk from some cobs and use a knife to slice whole kernels off other ones. The latter get briefly sauteed, and the former is barely heated through, all the better to showcase it. A little sharp pecorino cheese, fresh basil, salt and pepper, and it’s done: a summer sauce that nestles in the nooks and crannies of curly pasta.

I know I could easily add roasted or raw cherry tomatoes, or perhaps some walnuts, or even a dash — just a dash! — of cream. But I don’t, because the less I taste the corn, the less I like the sauce, and this is no time for something less than sublime.

FUSILLI WITH CORN SAUCE

Grating half of the corn pulls out its delicious milky pulp, eliminating the need for cream.

Serves 6

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed

12 ounces dried whole-wheat fusilli (may substitute farfalle or another curly pasta)

8 ears husk-on fresh corn

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 3 cups)

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 ounces grated pecorino Romano cheese (1/2 packed cup)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a generous pinch of salt, then the pasta; cook according to the package directions, until al dente.

Meanwhile, shuck the corn and rinse it under running water, removing as much of the silk as you can.

Set a box grater over a bowl and run four of the cobs across the coarse side of the grater. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups milk and pulp.) Use a knife to cut the kernels from the other cobs (see NOTE); keep the whole kernels (about 3 cups) separate from the milk and pulp.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and sweet, 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add the corn kernels. Cook, stirring, until the corn brightens and softens slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in the corn milk and pulp and turn off the heat. Cover to keep warm.

Drain the pasta (reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water), and add it to the skillet with the corn sauce. Toss to combine, adding pasta water a little at a time if the sauce needs loosening. Stir in the cheese, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the pepper; taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the basil, divide the pasta among serving bowls, and serve hot.

NOTE: To keep kernels from flying off the counter top, first cut the cobs in half crosswise. Then stand each half-cob cut end down before you use a knife to slice the kernels off one side, and repeat all the way around the cob.

Adapted from a recipe in “Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook” by Joe Yonan.