I love this time of year – all the fresh tomatoes. I have one sunny spot in my yard where we plant them. But what do you do with so many tomatoes besides share them with your neighbors? Well here is one idea – Open faced sandwiches!
Super easy, super tasty – and cooking the tomatoes increases the health enhancing lycopene – a powerful anitoxidant!
What you need:
- 2-3 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 6 thick slices of French bread
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese curls (see below)
- 5-6 fresh basil leaves
- Flaked sea salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Olive oil
How to Do it:
Slice the bread about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
Sprinkle olive oil on both sides of each slice of bread. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place bread slices on it.
Broil on each side until lightly browned (it literally takes just a minute or two-keep an eye on it!)
Lay a slice of each tomato on each slice of bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle olive oil over the tomatoes.
Create the parmesan curls by using a vegetable peeler along the side of a solid piece of parmesan, slicing as thin as possible.
Top each sandwich with pieces of parmesan.
Replace back in the broiler and broil for just a couple of minutes, until the cheese melts and begins to very lightly brown.
Cut the basil into ribbons by first, stacking the leaves…
Rolling them across the long side…
Then slicing thin. I like to use damp basil, some people prefer to dry it.
Sprinkle basil on top of the cheese and serve hot!
Serves 6
© Copyright 2016 The Lazy Gastronome