Summertime Tomato Sandwiches

My grandpa wanted nothing to do with a tomato. He could not stand them, and refused to the eat them. I am uncertain why he was so resistant to the wonderful fruit, and one that grows in abundance in Indiana. If you have never been to Indiana and had one of their delicious tomatoes, it is a must. Big, hearty, juicy, and full of summertime flavor.

I have probably stated it on this site once or twice already, but I was actually never a big fan of tomatoes until later in life. I thought I was going down the same path as my grandpa for many years, after all, many family members called me ‘junior’, in the sense that I took after my grandpa. It was when I met my wife, when I began to enjoy them. I recall my first real love of tomatoes when she sliced a couple of them up, seasoned them with pepper, placed them in a bowl, and drizzled soy sauce over them. I loved them, and really began to utilize them in a lot of my cooking from that point on.

But let’s face it, tomatoes, and good tomatoes are hard to find. Sure, they are plentiful in every grocery store, but they are not the same as growing your own, or buying a nice organic one from the store. As the heat is finally here in Wisconsin, the tomato was calling for me, and one thing that reminds me of a great summer, is a great tomato sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 1 beefsteak tomato, thickly sliced, 2 per sandwich
• Good, hearty bread, thickly sliced (I used a rosemary boule)
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 small bunch of fresh Italian basil, rough chop
• sea salt
• cracked black pepper

To a small bowl, add the mayonnaise and chopped basil leave, and mix. Set aside. When you are ready to make the sandwich, lather each slice of the thick cut bread with the mayonnaise and basil mixture. Lay two tomatoes down on the mayonnaise and season generously with salt and pepper. Take the other slice, and mayonnaise side down, top onto the tomatoes.

That’s it. I know it sounds dorky, but a plain tomato sandwich like this with a bit of basil mayonnaise just screams summertime. Enjoy.

What are some of your favorite summertime dishes?