From Jeff Cox

When the tomatoes are vine-ripe and perfect, I look for ways to use them that preserve their garden-fresh flavor. Soon enough tomatoes will go back to being tasteless, imported things not worth much.

The thing about tomatoes in high summer is that you don’t need to cook them to make a delicious pasta main dish. There’s a ton of garden-fresh flavor in this no-cook sauce, and it takes only minutes to make.

Make sure your olive oil is high quality. The poorer the quality, the poorer the sauce. This is the kind of dish kids won’t think much about now, but when they grow up, they’ll reminisce about your home cooking and wonder how in the world you ever made anything so delicious.

Depending on your relationship with them, you’ll either give them this recipe or feign ignorance.

3 large heirloom tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

¼ cup chopped, destemmed, fresh Italian flat-leaved parsley

¼ cup chopped, destemmed, fresh basil

1 Tbl. chopped, destemmed, fresh oregano

1 Tbl. chopped, destemmed, fresh thyme

Fleur de sel or kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

½ tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lb. farfalle pasta

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Core and chop the tomatoes to about ½-inch dice and place them in a medium bowl. Peel and mince the garlic and add to the tomatoes. Destem and chop the parsley, basil, oregano, and thyme leaves and add them to the tomato bowl. Add the salt and pepper and crushed red pepper. Stir the contents of the tomato bowl until everything is well mixed.

2. Start a gallon of salted water to boil on the stove. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the farfalle. Cook according to package instructions.

3. When the pasta is almost done, warm a large serving bowl. Add the olive oil to the tomato mixture bowl and stir in well. Drain the pasta and place in the serving bowl, then add the contents of the tomato bowl and toss to incorporate. Serve immediately while the pasta is hot.

Serves 6-8.
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Jeff Cox is author of The Organic Cook’s Bible and lives in Sonoma County, California.
Photo: Wikipedia
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