This is one of my favorite recipes. I’ve made it for years and years.

It’s from Nora Ephron‘s wonderful novel  Heartburn, which is a fictional account of her marriage to Carl Bernstein of All The President”s Men fame.

She is a wonderful cook, and the book contains a number of fantastic recipes. I consider it one of my cookbooks!

Linguine alla Cecca is a simple recipe, but oh, so satisfying!  It’s perfect for summer suppers with a loaf of crusty bread. This is my comfort food.

Drop 5 large tomatoes into boiling water for one full minute.  Peel and seed and chop.

Put chopped tomatoes into a large bowl with ½ cup of olive oil, a garlic clove sliced in two  (more garlic is okay. Actually, preferable!) , 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, salt and hot red pepper flakes.

Let sit for a couple of hours. Remove the garlic if you wish.

Boil one pound of linguine, drain and toss with the sauce.  Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese.