Friday, August 26, 2016

The Annual Tomato Sandwich

There is something about the third week of August that begs for a tomato sandwich.

Tomato sandwiches are a guilty pleasure.  I've been on the Weight Watchers diet (sort of) - the old "Points Plus" plan, I mean - since November of 2012.

But, some things can't be denied.

For example, brownies.  Although, nowadays I make them with coconut oil instead of butter, and I recently found that adding 3/4 cup of fresh blueberries to a brownie mix makes a heavenly brownie.

So, then there is the annual meal I make that I wait a full year for.  Tomato sandwiches.  They are so easy, and so delicious.  Here is how I make them.

The mayo should be Duke's mayonnaise, from the Carolinas.  And not that nasty fat free stuff, either.  The Real Thing.  No, I won't get kicked off dieting for this annual indulgence, but don't tell them I NEVER eat the nasty fat free kind. 

The tomatoes should be garden fresh, and August is the height of the tomato season in upstate New York.  In fact, it IS the tomato season (September tomatoes just aren't the same).  Right now, we are getting mostly grape tomatoes in our garden, for some reason but they are just as delicious as the bigger ones. 

Tomatoes are one of these fruits that I will not eat if they aren't in season.  I don't care if they are heirloom, canned or hothouse in the winter.  I will make sauce but that is about it.  The only good fresh sliced eating tomato is an August tomato.

So, anyway, back to the sandwich.  Sorry for rambling.

The bread - fresh and local is the best. 

Apply mayonnaise.  Add sliced tomatoes, warm from the sun.  Eat.

So simple.  So good.

What food do you like that is best when in season?

21 comments:

  1. I love a tomato sandwich - it needs to be on really fresh bread (and my guilty pleasure is white bread tomato sandwiches) I also love citrus fruit in season straight from the tree - they're never the same when you buy them from the shops.

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    1. White bread would be my choice, too, but we so rarely have it in the house. I've never had fresh citrus from the tree - it is an experience I would love to have.

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  2. Aah, another tomato sandwich lover. I've already had a few this season.

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  3. The only thing better is to eat them outside minutes after picking the tomatoes!

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    1. Yes, that, too! Fresh and warm from the sun!

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  4. Replies
    1. As much as I love fresh basil (and I have it in my front yard) I am a minimalist when it comes to the pure tomato sandwich. No basil.

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  5. Love me some mato samwhiches.. and of course Dukes on it, there is no substitute...:)

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    1. This northerner loves Dukes. Wish I could buy it in New York State! (Dukes, are you listening?)

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  6. Definitely tomatoes! Eggplant. Sweet corn. I WILL eat canned or frozen corn, but store-bought frozen corn on the cob? Uh-uh!

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    1. I will eat canned and frozen corn. But they pale before true corn on the cob. I'm fortunate to live in a place where it is easy to get fresh corn in season. We don't grow it-takes up too much room and it's too easy to buy good quality corn.

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  7. YUM. I have been eating them plain and in caprese salads, if my garden gives me more I'll have to do this!

    I haven't had much time for blogging since I got back from Ithaca, but I did put up a post last night in which I mention my "summer trifecta", produce variety - sweet corn, tomatoes and peaches. If I ever made it through a NY summer without all three I would be SO SAD.

    I actually brought tomatoes from Brooklyn to the Finger Lakes. Coals to Newcastle, except that I did grow them myself, so that makes them special. However my friend did have a pile of GLORIOUS tomatoes from her local CSA farm. We enjoyed both!

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    1. I'm laughing, because I suspect enough of the tomatoes in NYC farmers markets come from the Finger Lakes. Several years ago I visited the Saturday market on 14th St and chatted with several vendors who lived in the Ithaca area. But hey, I would love a Brooklyn tomato. I've seen enough small gardens in Gravesend.

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  8. Tuesday they had salad for lunch at the continuation high school. With small cherry tomatoes. One boy popped it in his mouth and ate it. The two girls that were with him were so disgusted by this. I have no idea why. It was odd.

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  9. I love tomato sanchwiches with a touch of cheese. We have a glut of tomatoes in the market at present and we're feasting on spagetti and a variety of chutneys.

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  10. I don't like to eat the tomatoes raw you know. Tomato sandwiches grilled I love with a little butter and a rings of Indian spices. 😁

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