recipe adapted from Ruth Reichl, My Kitchen Year
One hour before you want to eat, tear up the basil and put it in the olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and let the flavors infuse the oil, the more time, the better.
Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze gently to remove the seeds. Chop the tomatoes, removing the core, then add them to the olive oil.
Tear or dice the ball of mozzarella into bite-size pieces and add to the pasta serving bowl. If using chèvre or feta, crumble large pieces into the bowl. For parmesan, grate into bowl.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water. When it is al dente, drain then transfer the pasta to the serving bowl with the tomatoes and cheese. "Toss it about like crazy," as Ruth says. Optionally remove the sliced garlic from the olive oil, it depends on how sensitive you are. (It's perfectly fine to eat, but raw garlic, even sliced thinly, is quite potent.) Sprinkle with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper.