The Ultimate Tomato Sandwich
It's finally tomato season here and we have been enjoying tomatoes on just about everything. I never liked tomatoes growing up. The out of season grocery store tomatoes were watery and tasteless to me as a kid and I hated their texture. Slowly, as I got older, we were able to have access to more varieties of tomatoes as well as in season home grown tomatoes and I learned that I actually love them. But it still holds true that I will only eat them raw where they are in season. So this time of year, it all about finding new ways to highlight and enjoy them. Hence this sandwich. Which combines the delicious in season tomato with toasty bread rubbed with raw garlic and homemade herb mayo. If you don't want to make your own mayonnaise, no problem. Just add the chopped herbs to your favorite store bought mayo and enjoy this easy to assemble but ultimately delicious sandwich!
Ingredients:
Homemade Herb Mayo:
1 egg
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup neutral oil
1 tbsp finely chopped basil
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Recipe:
1. Crack the egg into a small bowl or mixer and add the vinegar and salt then start to blend/mix vigorously for 30 seconds before slowly adding the oil. Then continue to mix/blend until it forms a creamy texture.
2. Add the chopped herbs and stir through with s spoon. Set aside in fridge until we are ready to assemble the sandwich.
Side note- this mayo is really good as a dressing. Just drizzled over tomatoes and lettuce if you have some left over.
For the Sandwich:
1 Baguette
1 clove of raw garlic
1 cup leaf lettuce
flaky salt and fresh cracked pepper
2-3 medium large in season tomatoes
olive oil
Recipe:
1. Slice open the Baguette and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the open faces of the bread and toast at 375 F for 10 minutes until the the bread is starting to turn golden. Then rub the bread with the peeled raw garlic clove.
2. Slice the tomatoes 1/4 inch thick.
3. Assemble the sandwich by first adding the herb mayo to each side of the bread, then lay down a thick layer of sliced tomatoes. Salt and pepper the tomatoes before topping with a small handful of leaf lettuce and then the top of the bread.
Enjoy this sandwich while sitting in the sun and sipping your favorite drink. Listen to some music or just sit in silence looking outside. It's all about enjoying the last hot days of summer while filling your belly with one of summer's best treats- the tomato!
