The tomato sandwich is great on a roll also!  When we were kids, our Moms made us tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise.  It was the economical version of a BLT.  Only we didn’t realize that at the time.  We just thought it was another variety of sandwich.  I remember them being delicious, and I would think that’s because we mostly had them during the summer (lunch at the beach) when the tomatoes were at their peak.  These days, when I go to the diner and order a tomato, lettuce and mayo sandwich (on a roll), the waitperson looks at me like I have a screw loose.  “Don’t you want any bacon?” they ask.  So I usually say something like “I’m watching my cholesterol”.  But really, it’s one of my favorite childhood food memories, and that’s why I order it. 

Submitted by Leslie Sussman (leslie@sussmail.com)

What a lovely bit for the memory bank. I never thought of a tomato sandwich as an economical BLT, but I know what you’re saying. Maybe your Mom was just ahead of her time, and knew the glories of a good tomato!

Somehow, for me, any addition pushes this simple sandwich into a whole new category. In a BLT, the bacon taste dominates. I have also made tomato sandwich adding sliced avocado, and there, too, the avocado seems to become the overriding flavor, as it also does when I combine tomato and sliced hard cooked egg or tomato and cheddar cheese. Lettuce does not seem to take over, even so, I love just a plain tomato sandwich. No fuss, no frill, nothing else. When the season’s right I just want tomato and more tomato.

But I am going to try it on a roll, as you suggest! At the beach might even be better.

Maybe next time you order a tomato sandwich and the waitperson asks if you want bacon, you can pull a “Harry Met Sally” and order the bacon on the side.

Ask Ronnie a question: http://ronniefein.com/ask

To comment: http://ronniefein.com/submit