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Messing With A Classic - The Tomato Sandwich

weinoo

By weinoo
in Food Traditions & Culture

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weinoo

weinoo

Posted
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Posted
2 hours ago, Shelby said:

BUT FIRST YOU MUST PEEL THE TOMATOES

 

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

This is neurotic about tomato skins!

 

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Just think if you knew me in person.

 

That might be fun!  But did someone do something to you with tomato skins when you were least expecting it?

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

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Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

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In Vivian Howard's first book, "Deep Run Roots," her version of the sandwich is called "Elbow Lick Tomato Sandwich." Which, you must admit, is a great name. It takes at least two days just to make the bread. Another day may be devoted to finding a Cherokee Purple tomato. Those used to be reliably sold at our local farmers' market, but are scarce now. Then there's the smoked corn mayo: an outdoor grilling event followed by a blender event. She doesn't specify this, but I'm sure that when she calls for 2 eggs she means for you to go out to the coop and shove a chicken off its nest. After all, you can't charge $29 for Pepperidge Farm bread. But if you can make a sandwich with a ripe summer tomato, some decent fresh white bread and Duke's mayo and you end up licking your elbow you're there already.  And if by the look on your face someones asks what you are smoking, tell them not corn.

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Shelby

Shelby

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

 

 

That might be fun!  But did someone do something to you with tomato skins when you were least expecting it?

All I can say is that the skin messes with the perfectness of homegrown tomatoes.  My great gramma, my grammy and my mom peel (ed) them and thus, so do I.

 

I don't like wads of skin.  UGH.

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heidih

heidih

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10 minutes ago, Shelby said:

All I can say is that the skin messes with the perfectness of homegrown tomatoes.  My great gramma, my grammy and my mom peel (ed) them and thus, so do I.

 

I don't like wads of skin.  UGH.

And isn't that the beauty and freedom of cooking for yourself and personal choice. Peel away  : )

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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Mayo* on a tomato sandwich? What is wrong with you people? A balsamic vinaigrette is what you need. As for mayo with the yellow devil droppings is beyond redemption!

 

* Not even my homemade mayo. Certainly not mayo from a factory.

 

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Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

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1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

Mayo* on a tomato sandwich? What is wrong with you people? A balsamic vinaigrette is what you need. As for mayo with the yellow devil droppings is beyond redemption!

 

* Not even my homemade mayo. Certainly not mayo from a factory.

 

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Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

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18 hours ago, weinoo said:

The interesting thing about Duke's and we from the "north east" portion of the country, is that Hellman's was always the mayo of choice (Best Foods, for those west of the Rockies).  I was never able to procure Duke's...and then I was.

Yes, growing up in NY I didn't know anything but Hellman's. I was a long-time Californian dutifully buying Best Foods after that until I started hearing about Duke's and became curious. Couldn't find it on the shelves locally in the Bay Area, so I started ordering it from Amazon. It may very well be available in some stores here but my husband does the shopping now and we are creatures of habit, so basically toggle between the same four or five places for what we need. 

 

Why Eric Kim calls Duke's "flavor-forward" is beyond me. It's just good-tasting mayo without the sugar.

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chileheadmike

chileheadmike

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I had never heard of Duke's until I moved to Kentucky. It's a big thing there. I tried it and like Hellman's better. Also, Duke's only seems to come in quart sized jars.

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That's the thing about opposum inerds, they's just as tasty the next day.

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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I grew up in northern NY on Hellman's.  I haven't seen Duke's on any store shelves but ordered some for a side-by-side with Best Food's.  I liked Dukes but didn't think it was worth the bother of ordering.  

I recently switched from Best Food's to Aldi's store brand.  Maybe time for another side-by-side with Duke's?

 

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

Why Eric Kim calls Duke's "flavor-forward" is beyond me.

Ditto.  Kewpie?  Yes, it has a specific flavor but I didn't get that from Duke's either.  Though Eric's taste buds may be dulled from all the sugar he puts in everything!

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weinoo

weinoo

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1 minute ago, blue_dolphin said:

Though Eric's taste buds may be dulled from all the sugar he puts in everything!

 

I think they're permanently destroyed from all the furikake Eric uses.

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

Tasty Travails - My Blog

My eGullet FoodBog - A Tale of Two Boroughs

Was it you baby...or just a Brilliant Disguise?

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KennethT

KennethT

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15 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I have found that the better the provenance of the tomato, the thicker and tougher the skin.    Maybe just our local products.    Like dry farmed Dirty Girls.

I think it's a combination of factors - genetics and amount of UV the fruit gets.  Some varieties of tomato have thicker skins than others.  The more you go down the rabbit hole of heirlooms the more variation you'll find.  Years ago, I grew an heirloom Goose Creek tomato plant in my apartment under lights.  The variety is prized for its flavor and rightfully so - best tomato I've ever had hands down.  Thin skins, but I've never had one grown outdoors getting a lot of natural light. But, in general, fruit will thicken their skins when exposed to more UV light.  In many places (including California), wine grape growers will shade the fruit so as to prevent excessive ripeness and skin thickening.

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AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted

tomatoes have been selectively bred for shipping tolerance and 'impossible to bruise' - this is the requirements for tomatoes picked green, shipped half-way around the world, gassed to turn red, and sold as "vine ripened"

 

lived in NJ a spell.  going to work I'd see farm trucks with stacks boxes of tomatoes - labeled "Vine Ripened Jersey Tomatoes" - headed for the Philadelphia fruit/vegetable wholesale market.

through the hand holes I could see tomatoes that were as green as it gets.

folks - it's all a lie - if you want a vine ripened tomato, you'll have to grow it yourself or shop at very local farm stands.

 

as a kid I too would eat tomato sandwiches until I got sores in my mouth from the acidity.  Hellman's mayo, salt, on "Wonder Bread"

I bake bread.  'artisan breads' are too dense/firm for a tomato sandwich - the tomato gets squished out from the bite force . . .

nor did the old heirloom varieties have a thick tough skin.

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dcarch

dcarch

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My ultimate tomato sandwich:

 

1, remove skin.

2. Remove seeds.

3. thick slices into dehydrator and dehydrate halfway to concentrate flavor and to remove some moisture so bacon and bread do not get soggy.

4. make sandwich and enjoy.

 

dcarch

 

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Duvel

Duvel

Posted
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23 minutes ago, dcarch said:

thick slices into dehydrator and dehydrate halfway to concentrate flavor and to remove some moisture so bacon and bread do not get soggy.


Why is there bacon on a tomato sandwich ?

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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23 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

…when I read Eric's article, the first thing that came to mind was trying Vivian’s ridiculously named Quirky Furki that includes crushed salt & vinegar potato chips.


Had this today. Tomato, mayo, Quirky Furki on sourdough toasted just long enough to thaw and warm up a bit. I liked it. 

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JeanneCake

JeanneCake

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Ok enablers - I went shopping today and bought some very nice tomatoes and some decent (but not all that squishy) bread.  All this talk made me remember these heavenly sandwiches that  my husband and I made for "picnics" while on vacation in Napa, touring wineries.  Nice bread, gorgeous tomatoes, California sunshine, what more could you ask for (don't answer that!).  So I am attempting to recapture those memories in the sweltering heat of a Boston summer....

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gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted (edited)

My beef with many of these sandwiches, eg Vivian Howard's, is that there is way, way too much bread

 

Re Dukes. A bit loose and eggy for me. But ok. 

Edited by gfweb (log)
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BeeZee

BeeZee

Posted
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13 hours ago, gfweb said:

My beef with many of these sandwiches, eg Vivian Howard's, is that there is way, way too much bread

With really good tomatoes, I have my sandwich open-faced. Bread is the carrier.

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"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

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