Ripe tomatoes and Brie meld into this luscious, no-cook pasta sauce

Years ago, to celebrate summer tomatoes, The Washington Post held an annual contest called Top Tomato, where readers were invited to submit their best tomato recipes. (This was before my time here.) This recipe for Pasta With Fresh Tomato, Roasted Garlic and Brie comes from Patrice Kehoe, whose creamy tomato pasta with just the right amount of garlic flavor earned her a spot among the finalists.

While browsing our recipe archives earlier this year, I came across it and left the browser tab open because it caught my eye. It reminded me of a recipe I’d made years ago out of “The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin.

If you’re not familiar with this cookbook, which was first published the year I was born, all you need to know is that the Silver Palate was a very popular shop specializing in prepared foods — akin to a traiteur — in New York City for many years until it closed in 1993. Rosso and Lukins were the brains behind the operation. They each published cookbooks of their own, and others together, but it’s “The Silver Palate Cookbook” that’s best-known and still in print.

Chicken Marbella is easily the most famous recipe to come out of the book. But in a chapter titled “Summer Pasta,” Rosso and Lukins included a recipe for linguine with tomatoes and basil. If you were skimming, you would think that was all there was to it: linguine, tomatoes and basil. And, done well (with enough olive oil, salt and pepper), linguine, tomatoes and basil is a pretty perfect meal.

But no. After the “4 ripe large tomatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes” and before the “1 cup cleaned fresh basil leaves, cut into strips,” there is “1 pound Brie cheese, rind removed, torn into irregular pieces.”

When I saw that, it stopped me in my tracks. Brie? In pasta?

“We first had this uncooked pasta sauce when we were guests in a beautiful home on Sardinia,” Rosso and Lukins write in the recipe’s headnote. “Such a recipe could only be the result of hot, lazy days and abundant ripe tomatoes and basil. The heat of the pasta warms and brings out the flavors of the sauce in a wonderfully subtle way. Delicious and easy.”

Kehoe agreed, and spent years making the pasta as written for her family before she made it her own by calling for roasted garlic instead of fresh. She also reduced the pound of Brie to just 6 ounces. Her other major alteration? When she’s in a hurry, she skips part of the first step of the original recipe, which says to let the uncooked sauce sit at room temperature for two hours. I agree with Kehoe. Although an hour or two of resting time allows the flavors of the sauce to mingle and intensify, it’s not necessary.

What is a good idea is to be sure that you use the absolute best summer tomatoes you can find and set the bowl of sauce ingredients near your pot of pasta water, or somewhere warm, to encourage the tomatoes to release their juices and the Brie to soften. That way, when the hot pasta hits it, it will swiftly melt and meld into an incomparably luscious sauce that requires no cooking but tastes as if it could have taken all day to make.

Bonus: This recipe serves 6 and takes 30 minutes to cook, making it great dinner party fare. (Of course, you can also scale it down.) Pair it with a salad of chicories or arugula and some fresh bread for an easy feast.

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Pasta With Fresh Tomato, Roasted Garlic and Brie

½ teaspoon fine salt (optional), plus more for the pasta water

12 to 16 ounces dried whole-grain thin spaghetti

6 to 7 large Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped

6 ounces Brie cheese, preferably softened, rind removed, cut or torn into chunks

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced into ribbons

½ head roasted garlic*

¼ to ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup freshly grated or shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and season with salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, stir together the tomatoes, Brie, basil and half of the roasted garlic until well combined. Drizzle with ¼ cup of the oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss to combine, adding more oil, if desired. Set the bowl somewhere warm, such as by the stove.

Drain the pasta thoroughly, then transfer to the sauce and toss until the Brie melts. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss lightly to combine. Divide among wide, shallow bowls and serve, with more of the cheese for passing at the table.

Servings: 6

*Notes: To roast garlic: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. (This is also a great time to use your toaster oven.) Trim the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves. Place the garlic, cut side up, on a piece of foil, and drizzle with the oil and season with a pinch of salt. Wrap the garlic, transfer to a small sheet pan and roast for 45 minutes, or until very soft and caramel-colored. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Roasted garlic can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Substitutions: For Roma tomatoes, use 2 pints assorted cherry/grape tomatoes. For homemade roasted garlic, use 1½ tablespoons store-bought roasted garlic. For roasted garlic, use 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced. For Brie, use Camembert or other soft, ripened cheese. For Parmigiano-Reggiano, use pecorino Romano or grana Padano.

Nutritional Facts per serving (2 ounces dried pasta) | Calories: 372, Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Carbohydrates: 45 g, Sodium: 536 mg, Cholesterol: 33 mg, Protein: 17 g, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 2 g

— Adapted from Patrice Kehoe of University Park, a finalist in the 2008 Top Tomato Recipe Contest