Tomato Girl Summer

I have a confession to make: I used to think I didn’t like tomatoes.  I know, I know, it was an incredibly sad time in life where I didn’t get to know the joys of a perfectly ripe summer tomato. I think I’d only allowed myself to try out-of-season, low-flavor tomatoes.  The summer that I decided I needed to give them another try, in my early twenties, I had a tomato freshly picked out of the garden added to a caprese salad and my life changed. The sweet, plump, succulent tomato was beautiful and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on more.  

Cut to today, and I look for as many ways as I can to incorporate fresh summer tomatoes into my summer diet.  From salads, to sauces, and everything in between, fresh tomatoes are a weekly item on the grocery list in July through August. This recipe especially is a celebration of the summer tomato.  It is the key ingredient that makes this dish shine. The salt from the parmesan and flaky sea salt accentuate the sweetness of the tomato.  The spicy spread wakes up your taste buds so you can enjoy the tomato more. All served on light slices of toasted ciabatta, making a perfect warm weather snack or appetizer. I truly love this toast so much and can’t wait to keep making it in future summers.

Tips For Making This Tomato Toast Recipe

If you plan on making this spicy tomato toast recipe, here are a few tips to make it as delicious as possible:

• This recipe should be exclusively reserved for peak tomato season.  The sweetness of a perfectly ripe tomato pairs perfectly with the spicy calabrian chili spread.
• If you are anyone in your family is sensitive to spice, but still want a little heat, start with ½ teaspoon of the calabrian chili.  Give it a taste, and see if you’d like to add more.  Remember, it’s always easy to add more, but impossible to take it away.
• I love the delicate nature of ciabatta bread for these toasts, but you can substitute for sour dough or a crusty country loaf if that’s more your speed.  It will still be good with either!

Recipe Details

The beauty of this recipe is that it takes essentially no cooking – just a few minutes of preparation and you’re ready to eat! To start, you’ll make the spicy calabrian chili mayo. This spicy spread is comprised of mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt, lemon juice, and calabrian chili bomba sauce.  In this recipe, I used the Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce with fermented calabrian chili peppers.  It’s perfectly spicy, and adds acidity from the fermentation. A great addition to your pantry staples!

Once the spread is made, you’ll slice up the freshest summer tomatoes you can find, several fresh basil leaves, and collect olive oil, salt, pepper, half a lemon, and a block of parmesan cheese.

To assemble these toasts, you’ll spread a spoonful of the spicy mayo from end to end of a slice of toasted ciabatta bread. On top of the mayo, you’ll begin layering the thin slices of tomatoes and thinly sliced basil.  Over the toasts, you’ll grate fresh parmesan cheese over the top, a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, flaky sea salt, and crack some black pepper. 
Serve these toasts right away and enjoy!  If preparing these in advance, prepare the spicy mayo and slice the tomatoes.  Store both in an airtight container in the refrigerator and follow the assembly instructions when ready to serve.

If you like the sound of this recipe, you should check out these other summer tomato recipes:

• Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka
• Burrata Tomato Peach Caprese Salad
• Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Caprese Salad

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Be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, Tik Tok, or Facebook to let me know how your recipes turn out. I hope you love it as much as I do!

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Spicy Tomato Toast with Parmesan and Basil

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Toasted Cuisine: American Courses: Appetizer

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 mins Total Time 10 mins

Servings: 4

Best Season: Summer

Dietary:

N Nut Free

Description

A delicious tomato toast with spicy spread, fresh summer tomatoes, loads of freshly shaved parmesan cheese, and herby basil make for a perfect summer snack or appetizer. It comes together in no time and is incredibly tasty.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• ¹⁄₂ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1-2 tsp fermented calabrian chili, or “bomba” sauce
• Juice of 1 lemon, divided
• 1 large or 2 small tomatoes, beefsteak or heirloom
• 4 large slices of ciabatta bread
• 2 tbsp fresh basil
• 3 oz parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Olive oil, flaky sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Make the Spicy Mayo

1. In a small bowl, add ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1-2 teaspoons fermented calabrian chili (to your preferred spice level), and the juice from ½ a lemon.

2. Stir to combine. Taste to confirm seasoning and spice level (note: it should be spicy on its own, the spice will be toned down by the bread and tomato).

3. Set aside.

Prepare Your Remaining Ingredients

1. Thinly slice the tomato and equally divide into 4 servings.

2. Toast 4 large slices of ciabatta bread in your oven or toaster

3. Thinly slice the fresh basil leaves.

Assemble the Tomato Toasts

1. Arrange the 4 slices of bread on a serving tray or plate.  Spoon the spicy mayo onto each slice of bread, spreading the mayo from end-to-end.

2. Fan out the thin slices of tomato onto each slice of bread.

3. Freshly grate parmesan cheese over the entire serving of toasts, liberally covering each slice with cheese.

4. Sprinkle the fresh basil over each slice.  Squeeze the other half of the lemon, drizzle a small amount of olive oil, freshly crack some black pepper, and sprinkle some flaky sea salt over each slice of bread.

5. Serve immediately and enjoy!