Summer meant Grandma moved from her winter kitchen to a summer kitchen in her surprisingly airy, well-lit and open basement. There, she prepared for her family many uncooked sauces like this one:
What you need:
a) 1 kg fresh, dead ripe tomatoes (chopped, well-drained in a colander)
b) 1-4 cloves garlic (to taste)
c) 1 lemon, juice and zest
d) 1 teaspoon salt
e) 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
f) 1/2 cup EVOO
g) 3 tablespoons wine vinegar
h) 2/3 cup of hand-shredded basil
i) 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
j) linguine (amount depends on number of diners being served, but not more than 500gr)
What you do:
Shake the colander vigorously to remove most, but not all, the tomato liquid. In a bowl, toss the drained tomatoes, 1/2 the EVOO and all the above ingredients at least an hour before serving. Cover and set aside outside the fridge. Cook, drain the pasta, and put in a large bowl. Coat with the remaining 1/2 EVOO to prevent sticking while cooling. Just before serving, mix pasta with marinated sauce. Alternatively, keep pasta and sauce in separate bowls and have diners mix the two at the table. Grandma never served Parmesan with this, but I add a sprinkle as well as a little crushed chili.
