Linguine with Tomatoes, Basil and Brie

I've been making this recipe for a long time. It comes from one of the Silver Palate cookbooks, and typical of Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukin's recipes from that era, it's pretty decadent. But it's also pretty darn good, and the amount of oil can absolutely be scaled back. You want enough to really marry the flavors of the tomato, basil and brie, and to allow the brie to melt into a creamy sauce, but the full cup of oil the original recipe calls for is waaaaaay over the top. I also generally scale the amount of pasta back to 1 pound, but keep the amount of tomatoes and basil the same. So, I usually end up with 1 pound pasta, 5 tomatoes, 1 cup basil, 8-10 oz. brie, and maybe 1/3 cup of olive oil. Adjust salt and pepper accordingly.

This is a great summer recipe- the sauce is made in advance (just some chopping, no cooking), and then you just boil the pasta when you're ready to eat. I used a bunch of sungold and grape tomatoes from the farm when I made the recipe this time- beautiful and delicious.

Linguine with Tomatoes, Basil, and Brie
from The Silver Palate Cookbook

5 large ripe tomatoes -- cut into 1/2"
pieces
1 pound Brie -- rind removed, torn
into small irregular pieces
1 cup fresh basil leaves -- cut into thin
strips
3 cloves garlic -- finely minced
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
several pinches of crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds linguine

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a serving bowl large enough to hold the cooked pasta and sauce. Stir gently to combine. Set aside at room temperature for at least two hours.

Cook the the linguine in salted water until al dente. Drain and add to the tomato mixture. Toss gently to distribute the sauce. Serve immediately.