If you are lucky you are looking for lots of recipes that use fresh tomatoes about now. My plants aren’t producing very well, but I am blessed to have generous friends who have loaded me up with gorgeous tomatoes. There are many raw tomato spaghetti recipes out there, but this is the one I made tonight. And it was good!

1 clove garlic, split
2-1/2 to 3 pounds tomatoes; unpeeled, unseeded, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tightly packed tablespoons fresh basil leaves or other favorite herb, torn
3 to 4 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
6 quarts boiling salted water
1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated aged Romano cheese

Vigorously rub a pasta serving bowl with the garlic. Add the tomatoes, basil, oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Let stand at room temperature while you cook the pasta, or up to several hours.

Cook the pasta in boiling water, stirring often, until tender yet firm to the bite. Drain in a colander and turn it into the pasta bowl, tossing all the ingredients together. Taste for seasoning and serve. If you like, pass cheese at the table