Tag Archive | tomato sandwich

A Wonder Bread

Sep3

I’m grateful I got four early cabbages, and learned a lot in the garden, before I took the screen covers off the late cabbages when they got too crowded. Because there’s not much left, and less each day.

And I’m really grateful I had a fun distraction over the weekend, making a seemingly complicated bread that said it was “same day,” but took several steps and lots of rises over about 28 hours. ‘That Sourdough Gal’ offers a one, two, or three day version in several loaf-pan sizes, starting with this Sourdough Wonder Bread Copycat Recipe. Amy’s made it a few times but this was my first effort. On Sunday night I made the stiff sweet starter (right) and let it rise overnight, and well into the morning since it was a cool night. Late Monday morning I made the tangzhong (left), and was delighted it was done in the microwave instead of stovetop. Both of them could have been more their ideal selves than they managed, but I learned.

After the tangzhong cooled, I mixed all the ingredients in the KitchenAid with a dough hook and let it run for about twenty minutes. I plunked the dough into an oiled bowl and let it rise for almost four hours.

It remained too cool inside to rise well so I set it outside, first in the sun but the top got dry even covered, so I flipped the dough over and moved it into shade. It was supposed to increase by about 30%, and this looked about right.

Then I rolled it into a log and let it rise three plus more hours in the pan, until the center was just above the pan edge.

And baked to perfection! After it came out of the pan I brushed the top with melted butter, and by the time it had cooled enough to slice it was midnight. So I put the loaf away and dreamed all night of the tomato sandwich I would have for lunch the next day.

I’ve waited all summer for this moment: a vine ripe tomato from my garden, homemade soft white bread, and just the right amount of mayonnaise. Amy saw this picture and said “I think you might need more mayonnaise.” I told cousin Mel about the sandwich and she said, “Whenever I get mayonnaise I think of you.” She recalled a time when I was horrified that there was no mayonnaise, and she said, “You wailed!” We laughed and laughed. It’s nice to be known.

I was extra grateful to be able to eat this sandwich yesterday for lunch. Not only that the tomatoes survived the grasshopper plague and ripened beautifully, that the bread turned out so well, that there was sufficient mayonnaise, but that I could finally chew again after five days on a liquid diet. The dental crowns that keep on giving! It’s been awful, but with some friendly advice and a recollection, I finally got some relief from the mouth and face paralysis and pain. I drank custard, soup, and smoothies for five days, took Vitamin I morning and evening, and looked up some Feldenkrais sessions for jaw pain. It still feels awkward to close my mouth but the teeth have almost quit hurting, don’t feel loose anymore, and can at last do their job again. On a wonder bread.

Pure and utter perfection: tomato, mayo, salt

Yesterday evening by the pond, I was trying to capture a gorgeous blue dragonfly, which I didn’t quite succeed in, but a sweet mama frog hopped into the picture. And when I looked at the picture, I saw another frog already hiding beyond the lily pads.

This morning, who did I find up in the vegetable garden all the way the other end of the yard? One of my darlings in the wood chips damp from the sprinkler. They are on the move! I wanted to catch it and return it to the pond, but who am I to say? It had come all this way braving untold hazards, I could hardly be the decider and make it start its journey all over again. And then for lunch, I enjoyed another perfect tomato sandwich, with some lightly curried carrot-corn soup. It’s been a peaceful couple of days at Mirador, as the wild world spins around.

Eating August

Sep6

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Apricots showed up in many festive meals last month, including these appetizers: perfect apricots cut in half, pits replaced with a dollop of softened cream cheese and topped with salted, roasted almonds.

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Another place they showed up was this leg-of-goat roast at the Bad Dog Ranch, in the glaze and in a pan-cooked chutney alongside, courtesy of Chef Gabrielle.

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After making apricot jam, harvesting the garden and raiding the fridge, time for a gin gimlet and fresh vegetable curry over red rice, inspired by a friend’s recipe.

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Sautéed onions and garlic, three kinds of peppers, fresh tomato, and coconut milk simmer on the stove…

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…add zucchini and yellow squash and handfuls of fresh purple and green basil, and simmer til soft and yummy, then serve over rice.

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“Do you call a sandwich with tomato and cheese a tomato sandwich?” asked Ann. Me: “NO! That is a tomato and cheese sandwich. A tomato sandwich is just tomato. And mayo. Lots of mayo.”

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The BLT is another kind of sandwich altogether, not a tomato sandwich. Sometimes you feel like bacon, sometimes you don’t. But thick bacon! How do you make a BLT with thick bacon? It is just too chewy to bite into pieces. I tried first with chunks of thick bacon instead of whole strips.

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And finally solved the dilemma after cooking chopped thick bacon for a pasta sauce. Chop the bacon small and fry til crispy, then add to the sandwich.

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Carrots were ready at last. Not a great harvest, but a lot better than last year. They loved the raised bed with its loamy loose soil, but the grasshoppers got their tops through much of the summer. Mostly good-sized roots, and lots of gorgeous colors.

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One of the many things I love the most about living in the North Fork Valley is the food we share. We share it in gourmet or casual potlucks, dinner parties, and by the bag, box and basket. These perfect tomatoes came from Mary’s kitchen in exchange for a box of plums picked off of Ellie’s tree. We are blessed with a climate that in some years gives us outrageous amounts of fresh fruit, and in most years gives us gems like these. Our valley is the Organic capital of Colorado, and our produce shows up around the state in all the best Farmers’ Markets.

We have the opportunity in the next 56 days to influence the policy that will determine the level of industrial extraction in the wild public lands that surround our valley; those hills and mountains that comprise our watersheds, our views, our recreation, and our thriving and growing economy based on producing the highest quality vegetables, meats, wines, and recreational opportunities. Hunters, fisher-folk, tourists, people who buy the North Fork Valley’s food products around the state and country, anyone who has ever visited this valley or would like to, we need your support. You can start here. More to come.