Pasta With Marinated Tomatoes And Summer Herbs - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes (ripe, halved or quartered if small, diced if large)
1 lb mozzarella cheese, diced (optional)
2/3 1/2 cup green olives (pitted and chopped) (optional) or 3 tablespoons capers (optional)
1/2 cup fresh herb (chopped, including basil, parsley, mint, chives, cilantro, scallion tops or a combination, more for )
1 lemon, freshly grated zest of (optional)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
black pepper, freshly ground
2 lbs pasta (short, like fusilli, farfalle or penne)
hot red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup pine nuts (toasted) (optional)

Preparation

Up to 4 hourse before serving, put tomatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle all over with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes, then drain off liquid.
Add cheese (or tuna), olives or capers if using. Add herbs and zest. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and stir gently. Cover and set aside at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain well. Combine tomatoes and pasta then taste and add more oil, salt and pepper to taste. Add red pepper flakes if desired. Sprinkle with pine nuts, if using, and chopped herbs. Serve immediately.