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The hard ends of Parmesan cheese represent the ultimate zero-waste hack – like a cheesy stock cube, they enrich stews, sauces and all sorts, adding incredible taste in the form of umami depth and creamy texture. Kept in the fridge or icebox, they keep almost indefinitely. Today's culinary creation incorporates them in a budget-friendly, creamy corn orzo that converts a handful of basic items into comforting autumn fare.

Corn and Orzo Delight

The meal was a happy accident, and left me and my family drooling for more. Originally, the idea was a traditional tomato pasta to use up the remaining portion in the cupboard remaining after making a cold pasta dish, but wanted something more seasonal. Sweet corn on the cob are one of fall's short-lived pleasures, similar to asparagus in seasonality, and during their brief season I eat them weekly. In the spirit of this column, I believed it would be beneficial to utilize the entire corn – not just the sweet kernels, but also the starchy, flavourful pulp and the spent cobs. That extra flavour, paired with a parmesan rind, shallot, butter and a splash of cream or water, transforms a single cob into a generous and deeply satisfying dish for two.

Serves 2 generously

• 1 fresh corn cob
• 50 grams of butter
• One medium-sized onion, skinned and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, skinned and coarsely cut
• 250g orzo
• 40 to 50 grams of Parmesan crust – grate off and reserve any remaining cheese
• 100 milliliters of heavy cream, if desired
• Salt and black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to finish

To get the most flavour from your corn cob, place it upright, slice off the kernels lengthwise, then break up the cobs by hand. After that, with a spoon, quickly scrape the starchy, milky pulp from the cobs into a container. Put the spent cobs in a pan with 750ml water, heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer, put a lid on and allow to simmer slowly.

Heat the butter in a separate big skillet on a medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook gently, mixing, for about 5 minutes, until tender, then add the corn kernels and orzo, and cook for three more minutes. Introduce the cheese rind, heavy cream, if preferred, and the saved corn residue, bring to a simmer and cook 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, mixing often, for about 7 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 dish up garnished with extra butter and a dusting of the reserved grated parmesan.