Red Wing Toast
I measure the start of Deep Summer as the first night I can sit on my back porch steps at sunset and wolf down a plate of Tomato Toast. Beefsteak Tomatoes + Dukes on white toast with copious amounts of salt & pep, to be exact.
Every year we’d run a Tomato Toast special at Magpie during the week leading up to the Red Wing Roots Festival, which used to be mid-July and is now late June. Sadly, tomato season doesn't quite pop off until late July/August, so we’d often go with the only local option- Early Girl tomatoes. I found that using a mix of both raw and roasted tomatoes helped deepen the depth of flavor for Red Wing Toast.
My impatience with tomato season coming on so slowly led me to develop what I call “Summer Sauce”. It’s less recipe, more process. A cheat code that ensures unmami-tomato-ey goodness, even when it’s not quite peak tomato season yet. Making large amounts to keep in the fridge or freezer allows endless possibilities of flavor packed condiments, sauces, or side dishes by mixing it with whatever your little heart desires. I’ll include some ideas of how to use it, along with the process itself.
By Chef Rachel FitzGerald
Ingredients
Toasted White Bread
Fresh Tomato slices- both sides salt n peppered and shingled
Basil Aioli
3 Garlic Cloves
½ C. Basil Leaves
2 C. Mayo
Summer Sauce
2 C. Garlic Cloves, whole/peeled
2 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
10ish lbs. Tomatoes, sliced thin
EVOO + Salt + Pepper
Roast Garlic cloves, smashed into a paste
Roast Garlic Oil
Fresh Basil, chiffonade (roll leaves into cigar shape and thinly slice)
2 +/- Lemons, Zest & Juice
Garnish
Lemon Zest
Extra Virgin Olive Oil drizzle
Chives & Scallions
*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, check What’s Fresh to see what’s in season
Method
To make Basil Aioli, in a food processor, blender, or mortar & pestle, work garlic cloves and basil into a paste like mixture. Mix in mayo and splashes of water, blend thoroughly.
To make Summer Sauce, first make a Roast Garlic Oil: In an oven safe dish or cast-iron skillet, combine garlic cloves and EVOO. Wrap with aluminum foil and roast, low and slow, at 275° for an hour-ish. Pull when cloves are lightly tan and your kitchen smells delectable. You won’t need all the Roasted Garlic and Oil for the Summer Sauce, so feel free to store any leftovers in fridge
Cut up tomatoes into thin slices and spread on sheet trays in a single layer. Drizzle over generous glugs of olive oil, salt, pepper and roast on 400° until caramelized around the edges (some burnt spots are ok…actually preferable!) Scrape the tomatoes off the sheet trays, chop into a paste and place in a large bowl.
Using your taste buds as your guide, start adding roasted garlic cloves, garlic oil, basil, lemon zest/juice, salt and pepper into the roasted tomato mixture. Start small and keep adding more of the ingredients until it tastes disturbingly good. Final product should be glossy but not liquidy. Once cool, can store in fridge for a week or in the freezer for 6 months.
Assemble Red Wing Toast by spreading Summer Sauce and Basil Aioli on toast, top with fresh tomato slices, and garnish. Enjoy!
Additional Ways to use Summer Sauce:
SS + Mayo (Dukes of course)
Roast Tomato Aioli! Add to BLTs or burgers or slather on Tomato Toast
SS + Heavy Cream + Parm
Vodka Sauce! Add a little pasta cooking water for a glossy sauce
SS + Balsamic Vin + Garlic Oil
Salad Dressing! Toss with greens or thin sliced veggies
SS + Coconut Milk + Lime Zest/Juice
Curry or Soup base! Or use as poaching liquid for fish or chicken
SS + Spinach + Eggs
Shakshuka-ish! Poach your eggs in veggies instead of boring ol water
SS + Chopped Olives + Crostini
Lazy App! Mixing SS with anything pickled and spread over toasts is always a win
SS + Cucumbers + Chickpeas + Cilantro
Indian style Chaat!
SS + Peaches + Mozz + Croutons
Panzanella!
SS + Corn + Jalapenos + Avo
Pico + Guac mash up!
