Fusilli with Tomatoes and Basil

I'm promoting this recipe from my favorite cookbook for two reasons:

1. Thomas liked it and ate it in his lunch all week.

2. I already had all the ingredients in the pantry and didn't have to buy anything for it!

Ingredients:

1 pound fusilli pasta (any corkscrew pasta works)

4-5 ripe medium tomatoes

1.5 teaspoons kosher salt (The kind Alton Brown recommends!)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large clove garlic

.5 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Large handful fresh basil leaves (you can substitute dried basil)

2-4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (optional...we skipped it)

1. Cook the pasta however the box says to (my abridgment...the cookbook is more specific. Don't forget to salt it so it's not sticky!)

2. Meanwhile, core and dice the tomatoes and put in a large serving bowl. Season with 1.25 teaspoons of the salt and some black pepper. Smash and peel the garlic clove, sprinkle with the remaining .25 teaspoon salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a coarse paste. Add the garlic paste, olive oil, and vinegar to the tomatoes. Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry. Tear into pieces and add to the tomatoes. (You can make the tomato mixture up to 2 hours ahead - but don't refrigerate)

3. When the pasta is ready, drain well and add to the bowl. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

4. To make it more filling for my high-metabolism husband I stirred together some olive oil, salt, pepper, white wine vinegar, and dried basil, poured it over a couple chicken breasts, baked them in the oven, cut them up and mixed them in with the pasta.

We're having wonderful rainy, cool weather. Hope things are nice down south!