Melty Caprese Sandwiches. (Photo by Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)
Every September, when fall starts to come into focus, I get jumpy. Stone fruit season is about to end! The good melons are almost gone! Have I eaten enough corn? Peppers?
The answer is always no, but that’s the bittersweet thing about seasons: They’re special because they’re fleeting. Come July or August, when I taste the year’s first really good tomato (or peach or melon or cherry), I make it my mission to eat as many of them as possible.
This new recipe - inspired by the salad of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil from Capri, but stuffed into a garlic bread bun and warmed until the cheese melts - is meant to carry us through the waning days of summer.
Earlier this year, I tried to grow tomatoes on our small back patio. It’s paved over, so I planted a few seedlings in big plastic pots, feeling unusually optimistic. I tended to them carefully, watching buds form and encouraging the vines to wander. But then, one week when we were away, the summer sun took over and fried the leaves to a crisp.
My 2024 harvest? Three tiny cherry tomatoes.
Fortunately, I live within walking distance of several farmers markets. Skilled growers satisfied my tomato needs for most of the summer, and then, just the other day, family came to visit from central Ohio with a bowl of homegrown tomatoes in tow. (Thank you, Linda and Tony!)
Now that the sun has started to set earlier every day, the air turns cooler as dinnertime approaches. Recently, when I wanted a tomato sandwich, I wondered how a Caprese sandwich would taste if it were run under the broiler, just until the cheese melted into the tomato.
I started with a couple of soft, crusty rolls I had purchased for another recipe. I split and dredged them in warm garlic oil, and suddenly I realized I had stumbled upon a way to make pretty good garlic bread in less than five minutes. I piled a few slices of tomato onto the bottom of the roll, topped it with some fresh mozzarella, then slid the pan into the oven for a couple of minutes. As soon as I saw the cheese start to ooze into the tomato’s crevices, I pulled the pan out. A flurry of fresh basil leaves went on top of the melted cheese, followed by the top of the roll.
I took a bite. It was I loved how the cheese released its salinity and soft brine into the vegetal fruit, while the garlic and olive oil on the bread further seasoned the tomato, enhancing its savory side.
Three or so years ago, I was gifted a bottle of 25-year-old aged balsamic vinegar. I keep it in a dark corner of the refrigerator, and I use it sparingly. But while eating this sandwich, I wondered how a drop or two would taste on the barely warm tomato. If you, too, have a treasured bottle secreted away, add a few drops to the tomato slices before topping them with the cheese. It takes the sandwich from super to sublime.
Photo by Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post
Melty Caprese Sandwiches
2 servings (makes 2 sandwiches)
Total time: 15 mins
This spin on the Caprese salad, a pitch-perfect dish of ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, stuffs the main elements inside a garlic bread roll - and lets the cheese get Melty under the broiler. If your tomatoes aren’t as flavorful or juicy as you’d like, season them well with salt and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. If you have it, pull out your finest aged balsamic for this recipe. You’ll need only a couple of teaspoons, but it will transform the sandwich, turning this riff on an Italian classic into something extraordinary.
INGREDIENTS
1 large ripe tomato (9 ounces), cored, if desired, and sliced thick
Fine salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional; see headnote)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced or finely grated
2 soft, round Italian-style rolls, or other sturdy, soft rolls, split
6 slices (6 ounces) fresh mozzarella cheese
6 to 12 leaves fresh basil
STEPS
Position a rack 6 inches from your oven’s broiler element, and preheat the broiler on HIGH.
Lay the tomato slices out on a large plate. Sprinkle evenly with a pinch of salt. Taste a small slice of tomato. If it’s lackluster in flavour, add a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar, if using, to the remaining slices.
In a medium (10-inch) stainless-steel or cast-iron skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt. Let the garlic gently sizzle, swirling the pan occasionally, until very fragrant and just barely beginning to brown, about 45 seconds.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the rolls, cut side down, gently pressing the bread into the garlic oil so it soaks in. (If there’s garlic left at the bottom of the pan, use a spoon to scoop it up and spread it onto the bread.) Flip the bottom halves of the rolls over, leaving them in the skillet. Transfer the top halves to a plate and set it nearby.
On the bottom half of each roll, fan out a few slices of tomato. Top each with 3 slices of mozzarella. Place the skillet under the broiler for about 3 minutes. Check on the sandwiches; if the cheese looks Melty and a little runny, they’re ready. If the sandwiches need more time, add another 30 seconds to 1 minute of broiling, then check again. Remove from the broiler, top each sandwich with the basil and the other half of the roll, and serve.
Substitutions: In place of tomatoes >> try nectarines, peaches or grilled zucchini rounds. Not into cheese? >> Use slices of soft or silken tofu. You could also use vegan mozzarella, such as Miyoko’s brand, though it will need less time under the broiler. No garlic? >> Skip it, or use an infused oil. Instead of pricey balsamic vinegar >> you could use a few drops of any balsamic vinegar and a few drops of honey. In the offseason >> use roasted tomatoes in place of fresh.
Nutrition per sandwich: 579 calories, 48g carbohydrates, 48mg cholesterol, 29g fat, 3g fiber, 29g protein, 11g saturated fat, 135mg sodium, 5g sugar
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
