Summer Tomato Pasta

from Francis Lam of Gilt Taste in Salon.com, July 30, 2010
interpreted by Julie Christensen

serves 4

1 pound spaghetti or linguine
salt and pepper, to taste
extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
2 1/2 pounds ofthe ripest tomatoes you can find (a mix of varieties is nice)
2 handfuls of tender young arugula (about 2 loose cups, but whatever)
1/4 cup shaved red onion or shallot, as thin as you can cut it
red wine vinegar, to taste (optional)
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Bring a gallon of water to a boil and add enough salt so that it tastes almost like the sea. Add the pasta and stir.

While the pasta is cooking, cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces or so and place them with all their juices into a bowl big enough to fit everything in the recipe, with lots of room to stir. Season generously with salt, pepper and a millionaire's splash or two of the nicest olive oil you have. Stir together and give it a taste. If everything is sweet and lovely but could use just a little more brightness, splash in a little vinegar, too. Then lay the greens on top of the tomatoes, followed by the onion or shallot slices. Try to arrange them into one even layer so that when you pile the pasta on, the heat will take the raw edge off the onion and gently wilt the greens underneath. Ingenious, no?

When the pasta is cooked to a perfect al dente, drain it and dump it in the bowl. Now wait! Don't touch it for two minutes. While you're waiting, you can grate the cheese, or, if you really want to get sexy, shave it on in long, thin ribbons that will melt into chewy strands. After two minutes, get in there and give it all a serious stir; the starch from the pasta actually helps emulsify the oil into the tomato juices, creating a sauce. Taste it, adjust the seasonings and serve right away. You've waited long enough!

The tomatoes, of course, are the point of this dish. If you have seriously sweet, ripe, juicy tomatoes smelling as good as girls before the prom, they're going to do all the workfor you. But if your tomatoes aren't fantastic, well, to be honest, I'd suggest finding a different recipe for dinner.