One of my favourite things about summer is tomatoes. Growing up, I’d beg my mom to let me eat them like an apple – sprinkling salt and pepper on every other bite. There is nothing better than the most perfect, fragrant and ripe tomato….and nothing worse than winter’s mealy twin. SO to that end…I eat a lot of tomatoes in the summer…on toast, on their own, in sandwiches, tomato salad…and fresh tomatoes in my pasta.
Decades ago my mom found a recipe in The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso for “Summer Pasta”. There is a great article here about the cookbook. Since then many variations have been tried, and as long as there are the best summer tomatoes you can find in there along with the best basil, it is guaranteed to be delicious. I’ve included the original recipe below with a few ideas for variations.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe large tomatoes, cut into cubes (about 1/2″)
- 1 pound brie, torn into regular pieces (I leave the rind on)
- 1 cup basil leaves, torn
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp high quality olive oil
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds linguine, spaghetti or fettucine (a long pasta is best for this dish)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Method:
- Combine tomatoes, Brie, basil, garlic, 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper in a large serving bowl. Prepare this mixture at least 2 hours in advance and set aside, covered, at room temperature.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook pasta according to pasta directions until al dente – do not overcook!
- Drain pasta and immediately toss with the tomato mixture right in the serving bowl.
- Serve with freshly grated pepper and parmesan cheese.
Variations:
- I have a friend who warms the tomatoes in a pan on the stove to break them down a bit and get the Brie really melty. It’s delicious but the Brie will get very melty just tossing the pasta as well.
- We have used freshly torn high quality Burrata cheese as well in place of Brie.
- I’ve added sautéed zucchini to use up a load of garden zucchini! You can also grate the zucchini before sautéing and it melts into a beautiful sauce itself.
ENJOY!