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The hard ends of Parmesan cheese are the best zero-waste hack – like a cheesy stock cube, they enhance stews, sauces and all sorts, providing incredible taste in the form of savory richness and creamy texture. Stored in the fridge or icebox, they keep almost indefinitely. Today's culinary creation uses them in a budget-friendly, creamy corn orzo that converts a handful of basic items into cozy fall food.

Corn and Orzo Delight

This dish was a happy accident, and had everyone asking for seconds. Originally, the idea was a classic tomato orzo to finish that half-bag in the pantry left over from making a cold pasta dish, but desired a dish fitting the season. Sweet corn on the cob are one of fall's short-lived pleasures, similar to asparagus in seasonality, and while they are available I enjoy them often. In the spirit of this column, I believed it would be beneficial to utilize the entire corn – not only the juicy seeds, but also the starchy, flavourful pulp and the used cores. The additional taste, combined with a cheese crust, onion, dairy spread and a splash of cream or water, turns a one ear of corn into a hearty and deeply satisfying dish for two.

Serves 2 generously

• One ear of sweet corn
• 50 grams of butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 250g orzo
• 40-50g parmesan rind – grate off and reserve any remaining cheese
• 100 milliliters of heavy cream, optional
• Sea salt and ground pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to finish

To get the most flavour from your corn cob, stand it on one end, slice off the kernels lengthwise, then separate the cobs manually. Next, 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, cover and leave to cook on a low heat.

Melt the butter in a second large pan on a medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, sauté softly, stirring, for about five minutes, until soft, then include the corn and pasta, and cook for three more minutes. Add the parmesan rind, double cream, if using, and the reserved corn pulp, heat until bubbling and simmer for two minutes, stirring to make sure the mix doesn’t catch and burn.

Strain the hot corn stock into the pasta pot, heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer and simmer, stirring frequently, for about seven minutes, until the pasta is firm to the bite and the mixture is loose and creamy; include more water if needed. Adjust flavors with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with extra butter and a sprinkling of the reserved grated parmesan.