This is not salad.  I repeat.... This is not salad.
It is however, a fresh pasta sauce.  You don't cook it.  The sauce that is.  You do cook the pasta.
Let's say it's a hot day.
Let's say that you've got some wonderful, fresh tomatoes from your garden or from the farmers market.
Let's say that you've got a little pot of basil growing somewhere nearby.  Oh, and maybe a little pot of parsley too.
Let's say it's late in the afternoon.  The tree toads are singing long and loud.  The kids are playing and you are tearing yourself away from your book because you are incredibly hungry.  You haven't had lunch yet.  You are truly allowing yourself to indulge in the 'lazy days of summer' b.s. that flies around this time of year.  You're not even letting yourself feel guilty that you're reading and not cleaning or cooking or canning the blackberry/raspberry jam that you've got to get done ASAP.  Nope, not you.  You are living in the moment.


Well... if that's you then maybe you've found the dish that will keep you happy and satisfied for the rest of the summer.  The rest of the tomato producing summer.
This time of year is exciting.  Seasonal eating is exciting.  It doesn't get better than fresh tomato.  I have black princes growing in my back yard.  They're beautiful.  They have these green shoulders that never go away, even when they've turned red.  Beautiful.  And tasty.  There just aren't as many of them as I would like.  So I'm supplementing with farmers market tomatoes or my own cherry tomatoes.  Whatever... they all taste incredible right now.

This is the sunflower that Kid #2 starting growing in school this year... we have a flower now.

This dish is about as carefree as you are going to get outside of cereal.  Believe me, I know.  This is not going to pull you out of your summer stupor for long at all.  You'll be back in that 'moment' before you know it.  It looks beautiful with the parley, basil and tomato.  A little hitch here is that you have to have fresh (ie. soft) mozzarella here.  The firmer stuff just won't do.   If you are looking for it in the grocery it will be sold in a little bag of water.  I suppose that you could try another soft cheese though if you can't find it.  Let me know if you do.


Pasta with fresh tomato and mozzarella
serves 1 (feel free to double, triple, quadruple...)

1 1/2 cups pasta per person cooked al dente
1 cup fresh tomato cut into large chunks
1 cup fresh buffalo mozzarella cut into med/small chunks
1/2 cup fresh basil and parsley (lighter on the parsley) ripped or cut into large chunks
1 clove garlic crushed
olive oil to drizzle over the top
coarse salt to sprinkle over the top
parmesan (optional) to sprinkle very lightly

Gently toss the pasta (I used spaghetti), tomato, mozzarella, parsley, basil and garlic together in a large bowl.  The pasta should still be warm (if you have a little saved pasta water you could throw that in too).
Drizzle some olive oil over the top and a little coarse salt over that.
Sit down somewhere quiet and shady and let it slide on down to your tummy.