Be Better Guys

It’s Saturday afternoon, maybe 1:30, you’re feeling kinda hungry because you had breakfast hours ago and you’re heading out to a 2:30 movie.  You want something fast and something that’ll complement your beer.  You want an open-faced tomato sandwich.

You know peanut butter and jelly’s easy.  This may require just a hair more effort because you have to cut a few things along with a little bit of “spreading.”  First, here’s what you want with an open-faced tomato sandwich.  August is when tomatoes worldwide pop off their vines and demand to get in to your tummy, pronto.  Specifically, heirloom tomatoes are at their very best, but any tomato at the local farm stand will suffice.  Second, you want hearty bread because tomatoes squirt bowls full of juice and regular store-bought sandwich bread turns into mush once the juice gets flowing.  Third, you need mayo, salt, pepper and then things open up – you can put slivers of basil on top of the tomato, you can slice avocado, fry up some bacon, chop chives 0r slice Vidalia onions,

Heirloom Tomato Sandwich - faster than PBJ

melt cheese… it’s all up to you.  Above all, here’s how completely simple the foundation sandwich is:

• Get some thick bread – sourdough or a hearty wheat.  Toast it.
• Spread mayo lightly on one side of each piece of toast.
• Slice the tomatoes to no more than 1/2″ thickness.   Too thin’s too flimsy; too thick gets messier than you’re interested in.
• Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper
• Then put on whatever else you want, or eat it straight up.
• Use two hands.  This ain’t a bologna sandwich.
• Have plenty of napkins nearby.
• Pour a second beer.
• Take a cab to that 2:30 movie.