It is both a wonderful and anxiety-producing time of the year. The tomato vines are bursting with fruit and everything is ready at once. Tomatoes begin to pile up on the kitchen counter. Something must be done and quickly. These perfectly ripe, luscious garden tomatoes are something we wait for all year long. Not a morsel should go to waste.
The solution to this glorious dilemma in my own kitchen is multi-fold. Some of these tomatoes will find their way into a tomato sauce, soup or pasta, maybe sliced thin atop a pizza crust slathered with basil pesto. But some must be eaten in sandwich form. Because there is possibly no better way to celebrate the harvest season than with a garden-fresh tomato sandwich. BLTs are a given and probably make a weekly appearance on our table during July, August and early September. But this is a Nordic food blog. What are the options for turning these rare summer beauties into an irresistible open sandwich situation?
Thankfully we have many delicious options to choose from, each one easy and doable for a quick August lunch or dinner. I've put together three simple favorites here for your late summer consumption. A tomato sandwich should never be complicated, but simple does not have to mean boring. Each of these sandwiches has a little something special to help elevate it to extraordinary status:
- Avocado, Tomato and Cucumber Skyr Sauce (pictured at the top): Buttered Danish rye topped with sliced avocado, tomatoes and a deliciously simple cucumber sauce made with Icelandic yogurt (skyr) and fresh dill. Greek yogurt can always stand in for the skyr if you can't find it.
- Basil Mayonnaise and Tomato (pictured to the left): The easiest of the three....Danish rye spread with an herby mayo (equal parts chopped fresh basil and prepared mayonnaise) and topped with sliced tomatoes. Simple summer perfection.
- Egg, Tomato and Basil Pesto (pictured at the bottom): Buttered Danish rye topped with a little baby arugula, a sliced hard-boiled egg, chopped tomatoes and a generous dollop of basil pesto (prepared or homemade). By the way, I just bought this egg slicer and I can't believe I lived without it. A serious game changer for gorgeous egg slices on your smørrebrød.
I hope these sandwich ideas help make a delicious dent in your tomato supply. September is just around the corner and it is our right, our obligation even, to see that we are sick of tomatoes by the time fall rolls around.
Easy Garden Tomato Smørrebrød
Ingredients
For the Tomato, Avocado and Cucumber Skyr Sauce:
- ½ medium cucumber
- ½ cup plain Icelandic skyr or greek yogurt preferably whole milk
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 thin slices of dense rye bread
- Salted butter for spreading
- 1 avocado sliced thin
- Sliced ripe garden tomatoes
- Chopped fresh chives or dill for sprinkling optional
For the Basil Mayo and Tomato:
- ½ cup prepared mayonnaise
- ½ chopped fresh basil
- 4 thin slices of dense rye bread
- Sliced ripe garden tomatoes
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
For The Egg, Tomato and Pesto:
- 4 thin slices of dense rye bread
- Salted butter for spreading
- A handful or two of baby arugula or other baby lettuces
- 4 hard boiled eggs sliced
- Ripe garden tomatoes chopped medium
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup homemade or prepared basil pesto
Instructions
- For the Tomato, Avocado and Cucumber Skyr Sauce: Shred cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Transfer to a medium bowl. Combine with skyr, olive oil, dill, garlic and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use (can be made up to 1 day in advance). Arrange slices of bread on a clean work surface. Spread butter on bread. Artfully arrange avocado and tomato slices on top. Top with a generous spoonful of Cucumber Skyr Sauce. Sprinkle with fresh chives or dill and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
- For the Basil Mayo and Tomato: Combine mayo and basil together in a small bowl. Arrange slices of bread on a clean work surface. Spread basil mayo on bread. Top with sliced tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
- For the Egg, Tomato and Pesto: Arrange slices of bread on a clean work surface. Spread butter on bread. Top with a handful of arugula leaves. Attractively fan out a sliced hard boiled egg on top of the arugula. Top with chopped tomatoes and a generous dollop of pesto. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
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