by merrill
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Photo by Melanie.Einzig
2 slices dense wholegrain bread with lots of seeds (my favorite is Eli’s Health Loaf) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 medium beefsteak tomato (New Jersey or otherwise), perfectly ripe Ask a question about this ingredient
Mayonnaise Ask a question about this ingredient
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient
Toast the bread to your liking (I like mine nice and crispy, but I know some prefer a lighter toast). Let it cool for a bit while you core and cut the tomato into 1/8-inch slices. Slather one side of each piece of toast with about a teaspoon and a half of mayonnaise (more or less if you like) and layer as many of the tomato slices as you can on top of one one piece of toast. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Top with the other piece of toast, cut in half (vertically or diagonally – the choice is yours, so go wild). Eat immediately, with a side of napkins to catch the tomato/mayo juices that will undoubtedly dribble down your chin.
Ask a question about this stepThis was also a "summer time" favorite from my childhood in Connecticut! My dad would bring in plump red tomato's still warm from the august sun and make us tomato sandwich's. He would make them on Wonder Bread toasted with Hellman's mayonnaise and a little salt & pepper. Nothing fancy, but to me it seemed like a gourmet meal! If we wanted to get fancy he would add a little Velveeta cheese (from the big brick). 50 years later, I'm still making them (just with a healthier bread) Hellman's mayonnaise and a little S & P. I am lucky enough to have married a guy who is just as in love with these as I am and is very content to consider a tomato sandwich dinner! Life is great with summer time tomato's!
This was the sandwich of my summers in Connecticut when I was a child. Except for the bread, which was Wonder Bread. Mayonnaise and tomatoes on white bread...oh my!! Now I've converted to many grain wheat breads as in your photo. And don't ignore a fried egg on the same bread, toasted, w/ mayonnaise and a slice from a wonderful summer tomato. And, the other night, as the tomato supply from our CSA is waning, we indulged ourselves and had a B.L.T. with mayo on toasted wheat bread w/ a soft yolk fried egg in it too. I saw that somewhere and it stayed with me, but I was too embarrassed to make it. But I succumbed and it was divine!! Better than ice cream! I love your photos too. They make me want to pull the food off the page and eat it! Thank you so so much!
You're so welcome! And thank you for sharing your memories and great sandwich ideas.
Kamila was my grandmother. She passed away in 1982. She made the best biscuits! Southern of course! She and my grandfather were farmers. Nothing in the summer time except right up there with the tomato sandwich was a good old "mater biscuit" Just biscuits made from scratch, slice of a summer garden tomato and salt and pepper! Soooo good!
My favourite tomato sandwich is two slices of a very good sourdough bread toasted and buttered, with sliced fresh tomatoes from the garden, several slices of 4 year old white cheddar cheese, freshly cracked pepper and a sprinkling of Maldon salt. The salt pops in your mouth like the carbonation from a soft drink. The tomatoes don't cost a lot, so I make up for it with a great cheddar cheese.
For the decadent version I add a couple of slices of hickory smoked bacon and some pieces of cooked salmon steak.
my favorite tomato sandwich is sourdough bread, spread w/ cream cheese, topped with sliced tomatoes (whatever looks best at the store), and sliced cucumbers (peeled or not, whichever you prefer), salt & pepper. Delish!
when i was pregnant with my son in the summer of 2009 my husband would make me two tomato sandwiches every morning and i'd eat them for breakfast - i craved them like crazy. i like them with cheddar cheese and the more mayo the better!
It's been too hot to bother going back out to get beefsteaks or even romas...But I had a pack of cherry tomatoes...diced them up...some olive oil mayo...salt, pepper & a little bit of thyme.... incorporating the mayo together with the diced tomatoes made for a really sweet and very refreshing blend! Try it! I devoured my sandwich so fast, I'm afraid I want another!!!!
In the meanwhile I have some ideas with some leftovers poppy seed dressing or the gorgonzola I haven't finished! Enjoy!
Love the idea of folding the mayo in with the chopped tomatoes - will have to try it!
i just tried this simple yet amazing recipe, and my daughter and I simply fell in love with the taste! The city i live in in the Philippines does not sell those big red juicy tomatoes (i dont know what its called) but we have an abundance of the roma tomatoes around, so that is what I used. It was as delicious as the others described it in their comments. Oh, my daughter added grated parmesan cheese as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Super good sandwich light, tasty and healthy........um , um, good...........
Add some fresh basil leaves.....Yumm
I love all these delicious variations on tomatoe sandwiches. I often add garden cucumber slices for a nice satisfying crunch, with plenty of cracked pepper and kosher salt. A great fresh tasting combination of summer goodness
Yum. Great texture contrast with the cukes.
The photo of the tomato sandwich really caught my eye. My 96 year old mother eats these all the time but prefers them on white bread. BUT she INSISTS that the tomato be peeled! We, her children and her grandchildren tell her that she is peeling away some of the healthiest part of the tomato. She is from the south, and says that everyone ALWAYS peeled the tomao for a tomato sandwich! She has been telling us this for 60 years that I can remember, so it's not senility! Anyone else have her opinion?
for what it's worth, my Southern stepmother always peels her tomatoes as well. partly, she says, because that's the way it's always done, but now adds that all of the chemicals and pesticides are absorbed into the skin...so it's healthier.
If you grew up on homegrown tomatoes the skins are often thicker than the grocery variety...maybe that's why
This is the best way to eat healthfully and simply, and feel so incredibly satisfied with not only a delicious lunch, but life in general. Thanks for the beautiful photo, too! The textures and tastes are illustrated to perfection!
Fresh tomatoes make the best tomato pie!!!! In a pillsbury pie shell that is baked.......add cut up garden tomatoes, grated mozzerella cheese, mayo, salt and pepper, chopped garlic and basil. Bake about 40 minutes and it is to die for !!!!!
Or.... You can use the above ingredients and instead of regular mayo use Olive Oil Best Foods Mayo, add fresh mozerella and basil... Caprese Salad sandwhich. YUMS.
How about a nice slice of melted cheese on top ..
They are all amazing tomatoe sandwhiches! Yumm....I roast my tomatoes, basil ,evo, rosemary, lemon thyme, sea salt , pepper, lemon zest. On any type bread roll, ( i prefer soursough Bagels) toasted or not.....smear cream cheese or goat cheese add tomatoes! So many variations to serve on,, But always Great!
My grandmother still makes a wonderful Tomato Sandwich and we all wait in anticipation for the home grown tomatoes in our area. I have kids of my own now and they love them too...When I wanna change things up I mash my home grown garlic into the mayo for a bit of extra flavor or I'll add a slice of avocado or candy onion or torn pieces of fresh Basil...But nothing is finer then the original Tomato Sandwich on a multi-grain bread lightly toasted....
Best tomato sandwich by far open face!!
Place slices of bread in toaster oven or oven on flat tray and broil just until golden
Remove flip over and spread soft side with favorite spread (mine miracle whip)
Place sliced tomato slices on spread
Add sliced red onion if desired
Sprinkle with garlic salt or any other you desire
Place any kind of sliced cheese on top and return to broil till cheese melts and is bubbly
Delicious and make a meal with coleslaw or potato salad Enjoy
under normal circumstances and any other sandwich, the Eli's would be the way I'd want to go, but a tomato sandwich for me is best with a couple of slices of good ol' soft, white bread. Nothing beats a really fresh bread and a 'mater with just the right amount of acid in it. divine!
Our family has been eating tomato sandwiches like this for as long as I can remember. My Mom said she has eaten them for 60 years!!! But a couple differences.. We call them Tomato Toast... and also, we prefer the toast to still be warm when we eat them so we have the tomato's sliced first, pop the bread down in the toaster, when it pops, put a little butter on one slice, mayo on the other and then pile on the tomato's, salt and pepper. The faster you can make it, the better it is with the warm toast! I'm just saying.... :)
I can picture the mayo sinking into the warm toast as I read this -- delicious!
Let's see...I have had approximately 5 tomato sandwiches this week :-) All of mine have come from my Better Boy plants which are producing like mad!
Dukes is my mayo of choice...
Soo glad to read about plain ol' tomatoe sandwich fans. So many times I have had friends ask where was the bacon, like my sandwich wasn't complete! They just don't appreciate the purity of bread, mayo, tomatoe & a little salt & pepper. An addition like sweet onion is nice, but there is nothing like getting back to basics.
I love a tomato sandwich but, I use no bread on top. It's topless for me. I think the top slice of bread masks the lucious tomato taste. Wish I could grow my own, the racoons love tomatoes too.
I have about 9 beautiful tomatoes (with more to come) on a tomato plant in a big pot on my patio. I've already eaten 3 and they were perfect although not Jersey Tomatoes. I actually ate one large one by itself with just salt. Yum. I wonder if they are available in Georgia where I live. Although some of my relatives ate tomato sandwiches years ago, I grew up eating bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches and they deserve a mention also.
A perfectly ripe tomato is an amazing treat. It is in a totally different league than most of the tomatoes we have available at the grocery store. Favorite lunch on South Beach....two thick slices of a perfect tomato, two thick slices of mozzarella cheese, drizzled with olive oil slightly seasoned with fresh garlic and lemon and garnished with fresh basil. Also, toasted bagel half topped with cream cheese, nova, onion and slice of tomato.
I love eating a whole, ripe tomato with just salt. Perfection.
I agree with you and Merrill... reminds me of my grandfather's garden when I was little and sitting on the back steps with a salt shaker, eating tomatoes until we thought we'd be sick.
Wow. A tomato sandwich. Not really a recipe to tweak is it? We eat these in the country all the time. Didn't know I needed something so simple and generic referenced in a recipe book. Good to know. *sigh.*
I know, isn't it great to be reminded of life's simple pleasures? If I weren't stuck in the office I'd make a tomato sandwich right now, yum!!!
I,too, am a Southern "girl" and 75 years ago my mother took me swimming every day in the summertime. I was 10. There was a lady in the lobby of the pool who sold big old ripe tomato sandwiches for .15 each. How I loved those sandwiches! Thanks for the memory.
must use Jersey tomato, berst tomato in the world, I also add fresh basiland light extra virgin oil, its out of this world......
My husband, who is from NJ, would definitely agree with you on this one! (I'm pretty sold on Jersey beefsteaks too.)
this looks like something I would eat, with natural yogurt instead of Mayo, thanks
Nancz~~that's what I was going to say...especially if you live in Jersey! add Vidalia Onion slice yummy. I'm going to have to try Eli's Health Loaf....using the oil/vinegar with seasonings sounds good and is like a tomato salad!
Love the addition of a little onion. And if you haven't tried Eli's bread, you really should!
Looks so yummy...can't wait to try it. The picture is so inviting!
This receipe brings back memories from 50 years ago when I was young. We relied on the garden for food and this sandwich was a staple in the summer. I often forget to make one because buying tomatoes in the store is a lot different from going to the garden, picking the tomato, and smelling the stem area for the wonderful fresh picked aroma. Of course, its Miracle Whip over mayo for that little bit of zing!
There's nothing like picking your own tomatoes. Or herbs, or berries, or squash, or....
Did I thank you? This is so simple and yet so good. I didn't have mayo so I use olive oil with grated garlic to toast and spread some dijon mustard.
I make this exact sandwich from when the tomatoes become perfect until it ends. It really is the best thing you can eat in the summer.
This is my FAVORITE summer sandwich but can't eat it without a thin slice of SWEET onion - yes, three times a week during tomato season.
My mother made this sandwich for me every summer growing up. It's great with a really big, ugly brandywine heirloom tomato.
In the spirit of recent events (...) you should try substituting the mayo with aioli.
I agree with you on the grainy, nutty bread and lashings of salt and pepper. Being a Southern girl I've got to bring Miracle Whip to the party though!
Yes! I actually let out a "whoop" when I first moved to Bangkok and found Miracle Whip at the grocery store.
My favorite tomato sandwich is potato rolls, soft butter, and perfect tomatoes. A little salt and pepper, of course. Summer is on its way!
Perfection is ripe tomatoes and good mayonnaise between 2 slices of good bread. Tomatoes have a "second season" in Florida starting right now as the weather cools down enough but still stays warm and humid for another month or 2...I am so excited for some good 'mater sandwiches! Thanks for the reminder :)
this is so amazing with a lemony home made mayonnaise, but otherwise I like it with olive oil (brushed on with a pastry brush) instead of mayo. otherwise totally in agreement...
Eugenia is the author of the book Well-Preserved and writes about homemade food preservation for the Denver Post's Well-Preserved blog.
Ok, so I think tomato sandwiches are best when you are hungry, which for me means I use whatever I have in the cupboard. After reading so many of the responses to this recipe, I had to head to the kitchen. Here is what I just finished eating... yum! Lightly toasted wheat bread, a small wedge of soft cheese spread on each slice as it comes out of the toaster. Then a nice medium sized ripe tomato sliced into thin 1/8" slices (don't worry I use all the slices!). Once the tomato slices are stacked on the cheese covered toast, I drizzle a very small amount of extra virgin olive oil on them and add a bit of salt and pepper. Then for the finishing touch I add a layer of lightly crushed nacho cheese Doritos chips (Heresy, but so good!). It was tasty.... burrrrp!