Giving Credit

When you glean ideas from the interwebs,* sometimes it's hard to give credit where it's due. For example, I got this recipe from the divine Luisa, who not only recognizes a promising recipe when she sees it, she also writes about it and about her life in a lively and amusing style that I'd give my eye teeth to emulate.

She got this one from Pamela Sherrid who, no doubt, was inspired by yet another cook - and so on!

Whoever deserves the kudos, there is huge credit to be given here. Pamela Sherrid's Summer Pasta is one of the best meals I have made in my cooking life, one of those that goes directly into the recipe file and comes out time and again to become spattered and dog-eared from frequent use.

I don't normally think of pasta dishes as "light." Richly sustaining, yes. Flavorful and filling, yes. But, light? Maybe not. This one is light, believe me, despite the gutsy measurement of olive oil and the pillowy, unctuous fresh mozzarella. I made it when Cousin Jan came for a swim and a lunch - we both agreed it was delightfully summery.

For one thing, it isn't served piping hot. The time spent "resting" the pasta gives it time to cool off a teensy bit, so it doesn't heat you unduly on a hot summer evening.

I used two colors of heirloom tomato to pretty it up, and it needed salt and pepper at the table but, other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. I won't try to describe it because Luisa does a much better job than I could - go there and read what she says. I'm not being modest, folks, I'm just giving credit where it is richly due.

The only thing I would add is confirmation that Luisa is absolutely right about tipping up the bowl to get every last drop of the goozle this dish creates in the bottom - it is pure goozle heaven.

*Another example: I got the word "interwebs" from the ever-creative Cookiecrumb.