Tomato Provolone Sandwiches

We have been on vacation for the last few weeks, and just returned two days ago. There has been a lot to catch up on (almost 3 weeks’ worth of mail, the garden, etc.) and unpacking, so the days have been really full. I often think “two weeks ago we were on the beach”, or “9 days ago we were eating lobster on the waterfront”, and sigh. Heavily.

The garden did quite nicely while we were gone. A friend came over and picked produce regularly, so I didn’t have to deal with clearing out the rotted veggies, just needed to tie some of the tomatoes and give all a last-minute boost of fertilizer (I told the peppers to hurry and grow, that the frost would be here in a month or so and I wasn’t ready to let this garden-fresh stuff go to waste!).

For lunch yesterday I made a sandwich from a recipe that was recently featured in Eating Well. I had some huge, absolutely delicious heirloom tomatoes which were paired with melted provolone and a basil mayo on tomato-basil bread (from Panera—it was too hot before we left to bake and I haven’t gotten into it yet).

This has to be one of my top sandwiches ever. Alas, it can be enjoyed only a few weeks out of the year so I plan to make it several times until (*sigh*, again) frost claims the last tomato.

Tomato & Provolone Sandwiches

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tomato_provolone_sandwiches.html

From EatingWell: July/August 2010

There’s something magical about a simple bread-and-tomato sandwich, but this one is even better topped with melted provolone cheese and tarragon-garlic mayo.

Makes 4 servings | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or basil or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 8 slices whole-grain country bread
• 4 slices provolone cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 large or 3 medium tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 
  

Preparation

1. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
2. Mash garlic on a cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife or a spoon until a paste forms. Transfer to a small bowl and combine with mayonnaise, tarragon (or basil), lemon juice, pepper and salt.
3. Place bread on a large baking sheet and broil until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the bread over and divide cheese among 4 of the pieces. Continue broiling until the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Assemble sandwiches with tomato and the garlic-herb mayonnaise. Top with the melted cheese bread.

Nutrition

Per serving : 389 Calories; 20 g Fat; 7 g Sat; 9 g Mono; 23 mg Cholesterol; 36 g Carbohydrates; 17 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 656 mg Sodium; 428 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat, 2 1/2 fat