Tag: Southern Tomato Sandwich

Each morning, after my first cup of coffee for the day, I tend to our garden before it gets too hot. We’ve enjoyed the fruits of our labor in herbs, peppers and small bright tomatoes. The only plant that has yet to release its bounty are the beefsteak tomatoes. They are big and beautiful and very, very green. In a few days, I’ll be picking a couple of big green tomatoes to take up to the farm. My people have a hankering for Fried Green Tomatoes lately. I feel obliged to pick some of my big tomatoes while are still a beautiful shade of green. Did you know that the tomato originated with the Aztec people of South America? While tomatoes are grown around the globe thanks to explorers, sailors and trade merchants, tomatoes have always been a “Southern” thing. No people on the planet have a greater love affair with the tomato than Southern Folk. Think about it. Have you seen a greater sense of pride than a southerner for their vegetable gardens? And the heart of any respectable southern garden are the tomatoes – especially those of the beefsteak and heirloom variety. Fried Green Tomatoes? Make it a beefsteak. No wimpy tomato will do. Tomato Sandwich? Again, big, beefy tomatoes are a must. While I adore my Cherry tomatoes, Roma and grape tomatoes, my absolute favorite are of the giant variety with deep color and intense tomato flavor. These are the tomatoes that stand on their own, refusing to be a supporting role in a leafy green salad. These are tomatoes to be eaten like a bright red apple. When I’m working in our garden, eating tomatoes straight off the vine is such a wonderful treat – all warm and delicious dripping down my chin. How I love our tomatoes. Oh sure, we grow other things, but the tomatoes are the focal point of the garden. Yeah, I know – I’m not a southerner. The furthest south I have ever lived is Southern Nevada. Being southern isn’t just a matter of where you were born, it’s a question of true heritage. Southerners are born southern or “have people” of the south. For me, it is my Dad. He is an Okie born. While we don’t typically think of Oklahoma as a Southern State,  the settlement of the Oklahoma territory began as a direct result of the Civil war, with southerners escaping the Northern invasion of reconstruction. So while I’ve never been to the south, I feel a connection.

There isn’t so much a recipe for Southern Tomato Sandwich as there are rules. Or more accurately, the one rule. For a tomato sandwich to be a true southern sandwich there can be no – I repeat – NO deviations to the set ingredients. There are only five ingredients found in a Southern Tomato Sandwich. The most important ingredient, surprisingly enough, isn’t the tomato. It’s the bread – cheap, store-bought white bread. No fancy breads, no whole wheat or Artisan breads. And absolutely no toasted breads. A tomato sandwich must be made with soft, white bread, It is a rule. Next comes the mayonnaise. Real Mayonnaise – nothing lite or fat-free. Best Foods west of the Rockies, Hellmann’s to the east and Dukes in the south. No exceptions and no excuses for using anything else. Don’t be stingy with the mayonnaise – lay it on thick. You can’t have a tomato sandwich without the tomato. It has to be big, beefy, beautiful and most of all ripened on the vine. Farmer’s Market or home-grown. The best are those still warm from picking. Never, ever refrigerate a tomato. While there have been those who suggest peeling the tomato, that is another big no-no. Slice your tomatoes thick. The only seasoning necessary would be a light sprinkling of salt and a good helping of fresh black pepper.

Southern Tomato Sandwich
8 Slices thick White Bread
½ cup whole Mayonnaise
2 large beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
Salt to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Lay four slices of bread on your work surface. Spread a good helping of mayonnaise over the bread.

Cut tomatoes into rounds. Place 2 thick slices of tomato on each slice of bread. Season tomatoes lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. (It’s okay, even preferred, if the salt and pepper season the bread at the same time so don’t worry about being neat).

Spread remaining four slices of bread with tomatoes. Place bread on top of tomatoes and press down lightly.

Slice sandwiches in half and serve with plenty of napkins or enjoy standing over the kitchen sink.

Deviations from the Classic Southern Tomato Sandwich:

• Use Buttermilk Ranch Dressing instead of Mayonnaise
• Garnish the sandwich with shredded basil
• Serve as “Tea” sandwiches with the crusts removed, bread spread with cream cheese and tomatoes topped with thin slices of cucumber.
• Add sliced avocado to the tomato sandwich

While no self-respecting Southerner would openly tolerated these “Yankee” deviations, then are none the less delicious.

Enjoy!