Fresh summer tomato with crisp bacon in a warm piece of naan spread with avocado mayo. What are you waiting for? Eat a summer tomato sandwich!
This one is tomato, avocado slices, fresh mozzarella, basil and bacon on toasted sourdough. |
I feel slightly silly sharing a recipe for a summer tomato sandwich here, but I have to remind myself that an article in the Washington Post got me to try my first one a couple of decades ago. If I can move on person to slap a few tomato slices between 2 pieces of mayonnaise-spread bread, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and take a bite, I'll have passed along the summer tomato sandwich karma and be happy.
Now, I grow tomatoes in the back yard as well as get them in the farm share. I'm a little nuts about tomatoes because I think homegrown just tastes better.
Yesterday I spent the day putting up tomatoes, and I'm about halfway through the volume that my girl harvested from our back yard. Those photos appear on my FB page, but here's a shot of what I aspire to each August--a pantry shelf stocked with various tomato preparations.
No, the shelf doesn't look like this now. Picture all the jars hanging out in the basement waiting to return to service. |
With all the tomatoes lying around waiting to be processed, you'd think the last thing on my mind would be a humble tomato sandwich, but you'd be wrong.
On sliced ciabatta bread with who knows what type of green stuff and fresh mozzarella. |
I do not have fresh tomatoes in my house after the tomato season ends [usually the first frost sometime in October, though I'll have some green tomatoes ripening into November]. That means for 7 months out of the year I'm serving my family tomato pesto, tomato soup from home-canned tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce. I will miss fresh tomatoes, I know, so I set a goal to enjoy a fresh tomato sandwich each week while the season lasts.
With my summer favorite beverage--DIY Iced Chai. |
I usually toast my Multigrain Sourdough Bread for sandwiches, but at Costco last week I picked up some of these mini naan breads which I opened like a pita. They fit in the toaster to warm up without heating my kitchen. Spread with some avocado mayo and topped with tomato and bacon, this is a delightful summer sandwich.
If you haven't tried a tomato sandwich recently--try one. Not liking tomatoes through your teens doesn't count. If you've tried fresh tomatoes into your 40s and still don't care for them--fine. Go on about your business. If you like tomato sandwiches--set a goal to enjoy one each week during the season.
No one ever says on New Year's Eve 'I ate too many summer tomato sandwiches this year'.