Tomato Sandwiches

One of life's very simple pleasures.

If you have any of the anchovy mayo left over from the BLT's make some tomato sandwiches. If not just use a really good mayo. These are one of the simplest pleasures of life......bread, mayo and tomatoes. A little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. You could drizzle a little olive oil on top as well.

I had never had one until a couple of years ago and now I realize I missed out on years of satisfaction by waiting so long. I had a hard time believing they could be so good but I quickly realized the errors of my ways. During tomato season I live for locally grown just off the vine tomatoes. The taste cannot be beat. Simple, easy and so delicious. What more can you ask for?

Get yourself some good heirloom tomatoes and make a tomato sandwich for breakfast or lunch. Be sure to either stand over the sink or keep your plate under your chin cause it will be juicy. And you'll need a big ol' napkin.

You will not be sorry.

Anchovy Mayo and BLT's

BLT's anyone?

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato sandwiches....with anchovy mayo? Oh yeah baby!

It's salty with a rather strong taste so be ready for it. My husband was eating it from a spoon and his eyes rolled back in his head. From that I would guess he liked it uh?

Now I know oodles of people say they don't like anchovy. However my experience has been that it is the way it is served or the idea of those little salty fishies sitting your plate that gives people pause. Did I ever tell you about the time I fooled some of my closet friends with an appetizer that contained anchovy and they didn't know it? They raved about the roasted red peppers and scarfed it all down all the while singing my praises. I did not tell them until afterward that it had anchovy in it. They all sat there kinda looking around like she's kidding right? This is a cruel trick. Nope. The anchovies were heated into the sauce so you never actually saw them. They just added flavor. These friends are now converts to the whole anchovy controversy.

So on to the BLT's. Get all the fixins ready. I bought some Neiman Ranch applewood smoked bacon from Trader Joe's and went to the farmers market and bought some heirloom tomatoes. Then made the mayo in the morning and let it sit in the refrig until later that night to use. I have to say, however, that if you make the mayo a day or two before hand the flavors are even better. You know....all that marrying of flavors stuff.

We like our BLT's with bread that is slightly toasted and I use whole wheat cause I just have to. I can't buy white bread anymore. It makes me feel healthier.


Making the mayo is simple. You put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and let 'er rip. Depending on what you like you can alter the ingredients somewhat. My husband loves anchovy so I added quite a few but you could reduce that amount by about half and still have a very tasty mayo with more of a subtle flavor.

The ingredients for the mayo:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 med garlic cloves
• 5 drained canned anchovy fillet
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Give it a try. And once you have think about this. How about some grilled tuna with that mayo? And my personal favorite tomato sandwiches. Fantastic!