There’s nothing I love more, when strapped for time and relying on what I have on hand, than a big, fat Tomato Sandwich! It may not be the all-time healthiest lunch option… But it’s always high on the ‘responsible eating’ scale!
Deluxe Classic Tomato Sandwich: On multi-grain bun
(cut faces pan-toasted), with optional avocado…
This go-to palate pleaser is full of fresh umami flavours and bursting with nutrition dense ingredi-ents. In fact, I like to say, it’s so nearly perfect that the schmear of mayo I recommend on one slice of the bread, (and the butter on the other) can be forgiven in the interests of maximizing the flavour.
Simple knock-out deliciousness
For my money, there’s nothing tastier than a big, fresh slice of fully-ripened, juicy Beefsteak tomato. And that’s not just a summer dream anymore. We can get Beefs and other meaty slicing tomatoes year-round, now. (I’ve used jumbo Romas with great success.) Even if out-door-grown tomatoes aren’t available due to eventual Trump tariffs, folks who live in heavily-populated parts of the Great White North can get greenhouse-raised beauties year-round.
The other featured ingredients include: leafy green lettuce (Romaine preferred): crisp, piquant, green or red bell pepper; and thinnish slices of your favourite real (not processed ‘American’) cheese.
The California-sourced original ‘recipe’ for this sammy also called for avocado. But what with tariffs, and climate change, and other factors upsetting the supply chain (and jacking up prices), I’m calling the avo optional.
A pinch each of salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and two or three ribboned or torn leaves of fresh basil are, however, mandatory!
Assembly order crucial
The order in which you build your ingredient layers for this sandwich is essential to both its mechan-ical and aesthetic success. All ingredients should be at room temperature…
Lightly toast two slices of your favourite bread. I love sourdough or light caraway rye for this sand-wich. Then add a layer of thinly-shredded lettuce, followed by a nice, thick slice of red, ripe tomato. A 1.2 in. / 1.5 cm slice is not too much in my book, though you might prefer less. Sprinkle the top of the tomato slice evenly with salt and pepper, to your taste.
Then add one or two slices of cheese, and top the whole tower with the second slice of bread, which has received a generous spread of mayo on the inner face.
Tips…
Assemble quickly, and serve while the toast is still warm.
The tomato and lettuce – especially if you opt form Romaine – deliver whole host of nutritional basics. The bell pepper rounds out the nutrition and flavour profiles, adding a slightly peppery, savoury component to the piquant tomato and earthy lettuce.
I include the basil as mandatory because it truly makes the flavour sing. And I have a convenient little potted basil plant growing on my kitchen counter all year ’round…
My take
Just threw together one of these go-to classics, and ate it gazing out the window into the back yard, at the foot / 30 cm of fresh snow on the patio table… And thinking, under the sammy’s influence, “Summer doesn’t really seem THAT far off…”
~ Maggie J.