Heirloom Tomato Caprese Sandwiches
Tennessee tomato season is in full swing. And I’ve forced myself to take a breath. And enjoy it. Because I’ve been waiting for this moment all winter. For this sandwich. And nothing, not even a measly cookbook, is going to get in my way.
What is perfection if not a ripe Cherokee Purple? Or a gigantic Green Zebra? Or a Pink Brandywine? So sweet. So juicy. So satisfying.
You know you’ve got a good tomato when the juices dribble down your chin, and it’s all you can do not to eat every last slice before it even makes it to the sandwich.
Heck, I’d give up sugar for an endless supply of ripe tomatoes.
Ok, maybe not, but the fact that I’d at least consider it is saying something.
And the perfect way to use this ripe perfection is sandwiched between tender, peppered foccacia bread, piled high with fresh mozzarella (how fresh? Handmade by Tom just this morning!), drizzled with good Italian olive oil, and sprinkled with bright basil leaves. It’s almost poetic.
I love where we live. We’re in a prime caprese-making location, when you consider that everything on this sandwich came from less than 5 blocks away. The best heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market; the fresh, homemade mozzarella from the pasta shop just down the street, the focaccia too. The basil from the balcony (the only live plant out there amidst a forest of weeds, alas, no time for gardening this summer). With that sort of convergence you’d think we chose to live here for precisely that reason. In reality, when we first moved here, I was, shockingly, a tomato hater. I know, I know. Here I am singing the praises of a humble fruit like it was made of gold, when, just four years ago, it may as well have been made of dirt for all I cared. The travesty. Little did I know what I was missing.
All the more reason to eat a tomato sandwich every day for the next month. I have to make up for lost time.
Heirloom Tomato Caprese Sandwiches
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1 large tomato
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
1 loaf foccacia bread, sliced
salt and pepper
1 handful basil leaves
olive oilDirections:
Slice tomato and mozzarella into even slices. Arrange on slices of focaccia. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
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I love heirloom tomatoes at the moment and this sandwich looks like the perfect way to enjoy them.
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I’ve missed out so much not liking tomatoes as a child, now I can’t hold back eating them plan. This looks incredible – must make!
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Tomatoes make the heat and humidity worth it. I think.
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I could seriously put my face inside that sandwich and never come up for air and be totally fine with it.
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YUM! That looks so light and delicious. I wanna make it for lunch! So easy! Wish our tomatoes were ready!
Kacie
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The perfect summer meal!
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That looks wonderful, esp. for a non meat eater like myself. Thank you will try this tomorrow.
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We have had lovely, lovely tomatoes in NC for the past couple of weeks and have been eating them every day – just cut up and salted, caprese salad, sliced with olive oil drizzled over them and a fresh basil leaf, also blooming copiously, on top and I have to admit to standing at the kitchen sink with salt shaker in hand and biting into a Purple Cherokee – the season is gone all too soon and I don’t want to miss anything -
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Great recipe!
Kisses from Hong Kong,
Nicole
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I think I’d choose a location strictly based on ingredients like that! :)
What a wonderful looking tomato caprese sandwich. Gorgeous photos, too.
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A perfect summer lunch! I am anxiously awaiting my tomatoes; I have both Green Zebras and Brandwine coming soon.
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A clear reason why less is definitely more.
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Gorgeous! Caprese is my favorite kind of sandwich, my favorite salad, my favorite pasta. In other words: I would eat the heck out of this. :)
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We’ve been loving the caprese as well! Recently, as a panini.
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Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find any heirloom tomatoes over here yet, but they are on my list for next year’s gardening project. I love tomatoes! I must comment on your photo though: perfect arrangement and a beautiful plate!
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gorgeous :) we have a TON of tomatoes on our plants, but they’re not ripe yet. Patiently waiting…
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Absolutely beautiful… I cant wait to make this for lunch! :)
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It looks so yummy!!! I absolutely love tomato sandwiches when it is blistering hot outside. So refreshing!!
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First things first, let me just say that I’m beyond jealous that you can get all these lovely ingredients, FRESH, within 5 blocks of your home. That’s just not right. But the fact that you use them for such a delicious-looking sandwich sort of makes up for it. Sort of.
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Please peel that tomato, sugar pie!!
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Oh how I wish this was my lunch!
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yum yum yum. i love this. yum.
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I just discovered your site and the first thing I read about is your wonderful little sandwich. I’m still waiting for my heirloom tomatoes to ripen and then I’ll be in heaven. I’m getting mine from the farmers market also.
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Those tomatoes are flat out gorgeous! My garden has been producing like crazy…but all I have are plain red. Hope you aren’t keeping yourself to crazy busy lately!
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Mmh I love tomato sandwiches in the summer! A drizzle of balsamic reduction would totally make that the best sandwich ever!
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Um, wow. So hungry now. Tomatoes are my fave!
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That sandwich is so delicious-looking. I love fresh mozzarella. It’s so awesome that you bought mozzarella that was made that morning!
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Yes yes yes! I go crazy for tomatoes at this time of the year.
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Simple and fresh ingredients sure go a long way! We love this blog! Can’t wait to spend more time here.
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