Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

This recipe is a great example of how easy it is to make a great pasta dish.    From start to finish, this dish takes ~20 mins.   You could change this a bit by adding some chopped garlic, baby clams, shrimp, red pepper flakes, etc.  For garlic, saute it til fragrant in the oil/butter before adding the tomatoes.  For clams/shrimp,  add them with the tomatoes.  Red pepper flakes can be added with the basil or let everyone add them at teh table.  This is a dish that can be made for 1 or many.
www.nytimes.com: Oct 1, 2010

Salt
3 to 5 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 1/2pounds tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 pound linguine or other long pasta
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves, if desired
Freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat; when the oil is hot or the butter’s foam subsides, add the tomatoes.

2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break up, about 10 minutes, adding salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until done; drain.

3. Toss together pasta and sauce, along with basil and Parmesan, if you like. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.