Make use of the bounty of tomatoes
Patrice Kehoe, an art teacher at the University of Maryland, is inspired to make this dish when “the farmers’ markets are overflowing with great tomatoes,” she wrote when she sent in this recipe for a Top Tomato contest held by the Washington Post.
With five at her table, including three hungry teenagers, she also appreciates how easy it is to make.
Kehoe made a similar recipe from “The Silver Palate Cookbook” for years but recently hit upon using roasted garlic instead of raw. The mellower roasted garlic blends with olive oil, brie, basil and the juice of ripe tomatoes. She cuts off the cheese rind in deference to young palates but says it’s not necessary to do so. When she makes this pasta without time constraints, she lets the sauce sit at room temperature for an hour or two
to intensify the flavor. Serve with a green salad.
Pasta With Fresh Tomato, Roasted Garlic and Brie
12 to 16 ounces dried whole-grain thin spaghetti, such as Barilla brand
6 to 7 large Roma tomatoes or 2 pints of assorted cherry/grape tomatoes
1 cup packed basil leaves 1/2 head roasted garlic (if roasting garlic for this recipe, add 20 minutes; see tip; may substitute 1 1/2 t 1/2 ble 1/3 poon 1/3 store-bought roasted garlic)
6 ounces brie, preferably at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, coarsely chop the tomatoes and place in a large serving bowl. Stack the basil leaves neatly, then roll them tight and cut into very thin shreds; add to the bowl. Squeeze about half of the cloves from a head of roasted garlic, or add about 1z tablespoons of roasted garlic and mix well. Tear the brie into chunks, discarding the rind, if desired, and add to the bowl, along with the oil to taste, salt, if desired, and pepper to taste. Toss to combine, placing the bowl of sauce on a warm surface of the stove top.
Drain the pasta thoroughly and add to the sauce; toss until the brie has melted. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and toss lightly to combine. Divide among individual wide, shallow bowls and serve with more of
the cheese for passing at the table. Makes 6 servings.
Roasted garlic note: In the summer, it’s always a good idea to multi-task when the oven has to be on. Unless you’re baking a pie (which might pick up unwanted garlicky aromas), lop off the top of a head of garlic so that its cloves are exposed a bit. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil, then toss into the oven with whatever else is baking. (Normally it takes about 40 minutes in a 400-degree oven; you’ll know the garlic is ready when you squeeze the foil and it feels soft.) Squeeze the cooled cloves into a resealable plastic food storage bag and freeze for several months or refrigerate for several weeks.
