Do you ever come across a recipe that astonishes you? That makes you wonder why you hadn’t ever tried it before? The kind that only involves a handful of ingredients, but tastes like something even greater than the sum of its parts? This tomato pasta was one of those dishes for me.

This recipe celebrates the best of summer – sun ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil – and enhances it with a silky touch of butter. We had picked up some gorgeous tomatoes and garlic from Sundog Organic Farm at the market, and plucked leaves from my still-flourishing basil plant. Diced tomatoes were sprinkled with salt, their juices combined with sauteed garlic and butter to form the sauce. Tossed with spaghetti, basil and parmesan, it was a pasta dish where seconds were a given.

This was simplicity at its best.