August is the moment in the northeast when the tomatoes ripen. It’s suddenly time for bruschetta, gazpacho, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, panzanella, fried green tomatoes, and roasted tomato sauce. Here’s a tomato sandwich that’s a cross between pan bagnat and old-fashioned tomato-and-mayo-between-two-slices-of-bread. If you have some yellow or heirloom tomatoes in your garden or farmers’ market, this is a great way to give them center stage. Fresh, local tomatoes have an incomparable scent, juiciness, and flavor so superior to their tough, hard-traveling cousins who ripen in the back of a semi, far away from their sunny homes.
Our Herb and Olive Mayonnaise is packed with three different fresh herbs and chopped green olives. We think you’ll love it as much as we do.
Yields 4 sandwiches
Serves 4
Time: 15 minutes
1 loaf Foccacia Pugliese or a ciabatta or other crusty, porous loaf
2 big ripe tomatoes
Pickled Sweet Peppers (optional)
Lettuce or arugula
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or vinegar
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
¼ cup minced fresh chives
¼ cup minced fresh oregano
½ cup chopped green olives
Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, herbs, and olives.
Slice the bread horizontally and heat in the oven until just warm inside and a little crisp on the outside. Slice the tomatoes, put the slices on the bottom half of the bread, and push them gently into the bread with a fork. Layer some pickled peppers and lettuce or arugula on the tomatoes. Spread the herb and olive mayonnaise on the top half of the bread. Put the two halves together, slice into four sandwiches, and serve with big, absorbent napkins.
Serve A Big Fat Tomato Sandwich with one of the soups made with Italian Cheese Broth, a few olives or Raspberry-Carrot Pickles, and maybe a cookie or two, such as Orange-Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips, and you’ll be big, fat, and happy.