I like to eat the pasta hot with room-temperature sauce, but you could just as well serve it all cold. In that case, toss the tomatoes and pasta while still hot, then set them aside until you’re ready to serve them. Finish the pasta by tossing in the basil and bocconcini and serve. I can go on detailing recipes with minimal changes in the ingredient list or techniques, but what I want to leave with you is not only recipes but the understanding, and hence the liberty and confidence, to deviate from the recipe path and come up with a version of the plate that reflects your personal taste and local produce. When you reach this point, cooking is truly a joy.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 servings

　　1 pound ripe and juicy cherry tomatoes (the ones on the vine are the best), rinsed, dried, and cut in half

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the finished pasta if you like

　　1 teaspoon sea salt, preferably coarse

　　Pinch crushed hot red pepper

　　4 cloves garlic, peeled

　　1 pound penne

　　10 fresh basil leaves, shredded

　　1/2 pound bocconcini (bite-size fresh mozzarella; see preceding recipe), cut in half

　　

Step 1

Toss the tomatoes, oil, sea salt, and crushed red pepper together in a large bowl. Whack the garlic with the side of a knife and toss it into the bowl. Let marinate at room temperature, tossing once or twice, for 30 minutes.

　　

Step 2

While the tomatoes are marinating, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.

　　

Step 3

Stir the penne into the boiling water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, 10 to 12 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Remove the garlic from the marinated tomatoes and toss in the basil. Drain the pasta, add it to the bowl, and toss well to mix. Check the seasoning, adding salt and more crushed red pepper if necessary. Gently stir in the bocconcini and serve.

　　Cooks' Note

　　Coarse Sea Salt: The melting of salt is a chemical reaction that draws the liquid from the tomatoes. The larger the salt crystal, the more liquid it will draw out. And that’s exactly what we want—more juice to use as sauce for our pasta.

　　From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.Buy the full book from Amazon.