Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil & Brie

My cousin Karen hooked me up! She is an amazing cook, especially of Italian cuisine: she makes her own homemade pasta and has a wonderfully fresh style of cooking. I'd like to officially announce that Karen rocks. I love this dish so much, I've already made it for dinner twice this week!

This is light, summer cooking at its very BEST. It's a celebration of summer's bounty: juicy, sweet tomatoes, bright green basil leaves, and sharp, glorious garlic. The sauce does not even get cooked--the ingredients just macerate in a bowl on the counter. If you aren't a fan of brie, smoked mozzerella makes a fantastic substitution. I tried it and it was delicious!

I have not yet attemped making my own pasta, but I did buy fresh whole wheat fettucini from my local grocer. It makes a huge difference to buy fresh, I think. The texture is so lovely and succulent with the sauce.

The lighting was a little low for my evening food photo session, but I promise you, the colors, texture and taste of this dish are vibrant times one hundred.

Thanks cous! xoLinguine with Tomatoes and Basil
adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook

4 ripe large tomatoes, cubed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup clean basil leaves, torn in strips
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (but Karen & I both think a 1/2 cup is plenty!)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 lb Brie, rind removed and torn into pieces (good brie substitutions: smoked mozzerella or regular mozzerella)
1 ½ lbs linguine
freshly grated parmesean (optional)

Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl and set aside covered at room temperature for up to 2 hours.

Cook linguine and drain. Add pasta to the bowl of tomato mixture, and toss to combine. Serve at once - and pass the peppermill and parmesean at the table.

Could a delicious, fresh, gorgeous dinner come any easier than this??