Basil Tomato Pasta

Sometimes...oftentimes...the best things in life are the simplest.  I l-o-v-e fresh basil.  Every year, when I see it in abundance in the grocery store, the first thing I think of is this pasta.  I can remember making this as far back as high school.  My most vivid memory of it is making it for myself during my lunch break after bagging groceries at Albertsons for five hours. 

Everyone in the break room was jealous.  Not because it's a fancy dish, but because it's flavorful and satisfying and makes me smile even when I think about it.  

You can use any pasta you want, but I used this because it looks like flowers and I like flowers.

Basically, you just want to cook as much pasta as you want.   Drizzle in olive oil over it to lightly coat the pasta (maybe a tablespoon per serving of noodles).  Sprinkle it with chopped tomatoes, basil, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.  That's it, folks!

Here's how to chiffonade basil...

Roll up a few leaves of clean, dry basil and slice it in thin slices to make little basil ribbons.  Ordinarily, I cut the ribbons much thinner, but I wasn't paying much attention today.