The squealing yellow school buses are collecting the children at the end of our street in the wee hours of the morning again – although ours have flown the coop and have been back at college for almost week now. It is the end of summer, and the end of my season of avoiding the kitchen at all costs. It’s time to pick the last tomatoes and to get ready for fall.
Harriet M. Welsch (the terrific heroine of Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh) took a tomato sandwich to school for lunch every day – until her downfall, of course. She ate those tomato sandwiches every day for five years, and had cake and milk every afternoon at 3:45 p.m. There was nothing like the life of a fictional, Upper East Side, well-to-do child to capture the imagination of a fifth grader!
“The next morning Mrs. Welsch asked, ‘Wouldn’t you like to try a ham sandwich, or egg salad, or peanut butter?’ Her mother looked quizzically at Harriet while the cook stood next to the table looking enraged.
‘Tomato,’ said Harriet, not even looking up from the book she was reading at breakfast.
‘Stop reading at the table.’ Harriet put the book down. ‘Listen, Harriet, you’ve taken a tomato sandwich to school every day for five years. Don’t you get tired of them?’
‘No.’
‘How about cream cheese and olive?’
Harriet shook her head. The cook threw up one arm in despair.
‘Pastrami? Roast beef? Cucumber?’
‘Tomato.’”*
After reading and absorbing all the exotic and rarefied details of the world of Harriet the Spy I wanted to eat tomato sandwiches for lunch, too, except that I walked home for lunch every day in elementary school. There was no enraged cook, insulted that her sandwich-making abilities were not being fully appreciated. Instead, my mother indulgently served up a few tomato sandwiches for her fictionally-fixated fifth grader. And even though they were freshly prepared in the kitchen, just moments before I walked through the back door, the sandwiches would be soggy and soaked through with tomato juice. I don’t think my mother gave much thought to sealing the bread with a thin layer of butter, or even layering on a lettuce leaf. She just got out the loaf of Pepperidge Farm white bread, the Hellmann’s mayonnaise and sliced a tomato. She was not a great fan of Harriet the Spy, but I appreciated her efforts to give me a taste of the literary life. (She was probably glad that I did not want to roast a pig’s tail, à la Little House in the Big Woods, or that I was not swooning for Meg’s blancmange from Little Women.)
My friend Kathy Bosin says that the only bread that she can possible be use for tomato sandwiches comes from Lighty’s Market in St. Michaels. It is imported from Hoboken. She swears by it. I still use Pepperidge Farm as some habits die hard…
We have been back from our family vacation for almost a week, but I can still hear everyone’s audible eye rolls when I ordered yet another BLT for lunch. They found my predictability boring – obviously they did not read Harriet the Spy as closely as I did. I cannot imagine a better lunch than a BLT, except possibly a Club sandwich, which is just a BLT all tarted up, and not a sandwich to be eaten on a first date. Even so, a BLT is sublime, especially when accompanied by perfect French fries – which should be noted – all the “healthy”, pescatarian and Paleolithic eaters in the family “shared” as fast as they possibly could. Bon Appétit always ratchets meals up a couple of levels. They use pancetta, aioli and brioche, but this recipe would not fool my crowd – it is just a fancy BLT. I cannot wait to try it!
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pancetta-mizuna-and-tomato-sandwiches-with-green-garlic-aioli
We can go from the simple,
https://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/08/10/the-best-sandwich-in-the-universe/
to the sublime.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tomato-sandwich-with-basil-mayonnaise-recipe/index.html
For you grownups, who are looking for something for dinner, I suggest you try this from
our friends at NPR who have a great ideas for what to do with the last fruit from the garden:
Spaghetti With Green Tomatoes (Spaghetti Con Pomodori Verdi)
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup arugula
5 green tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-reggiano
Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, combine the mint, basil, parsley, arugula, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and pulse to form a chunky puree. Season heavily with salt and pepper.
When the water has come to a boil, add the pasta and cook until done to your taste. Drain, and return to the hot pot. Stir in the sauce until well combined, and serve immediately, topped with the cheese.
https://www.npr.org/2011/08/30/140036782/green-tomatoes-an-end-of-summer-bonus
Kitchen god Mark Bittman wrote on Sunday that we do not have to fear the industrial machine that produces our canned tomatoes: https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/17/not-all-industrial-food-is-evil/?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
“Come with me,’ Mom says.
To the library.
Books and summertime
go together.”
― Lisa Schroeder, I Heart You, You Haunt Me
* “Harriet the Spy” by Louise Fitzhugh (ISBN: 9780440416791) Yearling Books
BobHallsr says
Whenever I tire of peanut butter on toast for breakfast, I choose my second favorite, which is fresh (patted dry) sliced tomatoes on hot buttered toast.
As for ripe Summer tomatoes, there is nothing, absolutely nothing as tasty as our Fresh Tomato Pasta:
FRESH TOMATO PASTA
This is another of our favorite dishes, a delightful change of pace for pasta lovers. It is meant to be a “fresh from the garden” taste experience, that does not need the typical overload of garlic, spices and onions associated with the usual spaghetti sauce. Serves 2
6-8 large tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil
4 ounces vodka
4 tablespoons butter (more or less to taste)
½ cup Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and fresh ground pepper
½ pound angel hair spaghetti
Optional: substitute cream for 2 tablespoons of butter
Peel, core and chop the tomatoes. Roll cut the basil into slivers. Cook the tomatoes in a sauté pan just enough to break down the chunks (10 to 12 Minutes). Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti.
Add 2 ounces of vodka to the sauce (reserve 2 ounces for the chef) and cook another 2 minutes. Turn off heat and swirl butter into the sauce, then add the basil, cheese, salt and pepper. Drain the pasta, place in individual bowls, and pour sauce over the pasta.
Serve with a mixed green salad and bruschetta or crostini. A fruity red wine, like a Beaujolais, pinot noir or a good zinfandel, goes well with this dish.
“Many People Have Eaten My Meals and
Have Gone on to Live Normal Lives”