• Fill a pot 3/4 of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high.
• Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic.
• Remove any husks and silks from the corn; cut the kernels off the cobs.
• Halve the tomatoes.

Cook the vegetables

• In a medium nonstick pan, heat the butter on medium-high until melted.
• Add the chopped garlic and corn kernels; season with salt and pepper.

  Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened (be careful, as the corn may pop as it cooks).
• Add as much of the chile paste as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined.
• Add the halved tomatoes; season with salt and pepper.

  Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Turn off the heat.

Cook the pasta

• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the pot of boiling water.

  Cook according to the package directions, stirring occasionally (usually 6-7 minutes), or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite).

  Turn off the heat. Reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water (or 1 cup for 4 servings), drain thoroughly and return to the pot.

Finish the pasta & serve your dish

• To the pot of cooked pasta, add the cooked vegetables, a drizzle of olive oil, and half the reserved pasta cooking water.

  Cook on medium-high, stirring gently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pasta is coated (if necessary, gradually add the remaining cooking water to ensure the pasta is thoroughly coated). Turn off the heat.
• Stir in the mascarpone (see notes) until combined. T

  aste, then season with salt and pepper if desired.

  Serve the finished pasta garnished with the Romano. Enjoy!