It’s officially fall now.
The autumn equinox has come and gone and the leaves are beginning to turn here in Maine…apples and pumpkins abound, mums (the flowers) are being popped into the ground and into pots everywhere and the smell of smoke is in the air…but I’m still savoring the last taste of summer…
Vine ripened tomatoes,
fresh basil,
fresh mozzarella
and pesto.
Melt together between two slices of bread and you will taste summer in a way which no other sandwich compares…
Granted, my tomatoes have all been plucked from their vines (nights are getting a bit too chilly for them) and they now continue to ripen on my window sill and the basil (still in the garden) is starting to brown, but I picked as much as I could before the cooler nights settled in and I’m so glad I did! I’ve made batches of pesto, stored what I could in the fridge and am drying more…
So what to do with all those tomatoes, basil and pesto?
Bake some bread, buy a block of fresh mozzarella and get slicing….
Now it’s not a ‘cheap’ sandwich to make if you have to buy all the ingredients, but if you’ve been fortunate enough to grow the basil and tomatoes and have the desire to bake some bread (check this recipe out for a very simple and inexpensive recipe) all you’ll need to buy is the fresh mozzarella. The least expensive block I’ve found sets me back $4, but I can get at least 4 sandwiches from one, so that ends up being only $1 per sandwich (at least for the cheese), a far cry from what this sandwich would cost if it was to be ordered out…
Gather your ingredients;
A few leaves of basil, a few slices of fresh mozz., a couple pieces of bread, a tablespoon or two of pesto and sliced tomato. Add a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic if you wish, a bit of butter for browning and you will have the tastiest summer sandwich – ever!
Spread each half of bread with pesto,
top with a layer of basil, fresh sliced mozzarella and then tomatoes…drizzle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic (if you wish), a sprinkle of salt and top with other half of the bread…butter each side and place on hot griddle. Turn once browned and then cook the other side. Cut and serve! 
These were so delicious, Michael and I agreed we each had to have a second!
Are you missing summer already? Then why not make this sandwich and be reminded…
What are your favorite summertime ingredients? What’s your favorite sandwich?
Enjoy.
Ripe Red Berries 
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Oh… That tomato is beautiful on the vine! Must now wait for next summer to arrive with it’s glossy red fruit.
My favorite tomato sandwich is made with lots of mayo!
My mom loved lots of mayo on her tomato sandwiches too!
Thank you, it was deliciously juicy!
I had tomatoes, fresh moserella, but no basil. Didn’t think of using pesto. Have lots of that.
Pesto is so good with soooo many things! It’s the perfect substitute for when fresh basil is called for and you just don’t have any…(:
I had forgotten your recipe for pesto when someone asked me why I used walnuts; I’ll refer back on my next post if that’s ok?
A well chopped chopping board, always a good canvas, pics looking fantastic, good enough to eat even 🙂
I’d love it if you referred back to me – thanks so much!!
Thank you for the compliments – I use that chopping board for everything…except raw meat…that has its own board…