Tomato & Cucumber Sandwich

Written By Sarah Gorman

Jake McDaniel from Local’s Underground loves this simple sandwich and hopes you do too. Feeling crafty in the kitchen? Read to the end for Jake’s step-by-step mayonnaise making process!

Ingredients & Materials

  • A sharp slicing knife for the vegetables

  • A loaf of sandwich bread*

  • Mayonnaise

  • A beautiful tomato*

  • Black pepper

  • Salt (flakey if you have it)

  • A crisp cucumber*

  • SHARP cheddar (optional)

*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market

Method

  1. Slice yourself two slices of some soft wheat bread.

  2. Spread mayonnaise on both slices of bread

  3. Slice enough tomato to cover a bread slice twice over.

    • Crack some black pepper and sprinkle salt over the tomato

  4. Thinly slice enough cucumber to cover the tomatoes twice over.

  5. Cover the cucumber with thin slices of a sharp white cheddar.

  6. Close the sandwich and slice in half to form two triangles.

  7. Variation w/out cheese: Ever heard of MarMar? It’s a company based in Richmond and they make Chili Oil Garlic Crunch products. Add this to one of the bread slices… it’s amazing. It can be found at the Friendly City Food Co-op.

    Make your own mayonnaise with local eggs! Here’s how:

    • Makes 1 ¼ cup

  8. Into a food processor or blender* crack a large egg. Add in 1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp of Vinegar (red wine, white, or apple cider), and ¼ tsp of salt. Blend together.

  9. Continue blending and slowly drip in 1 cup of oil with a neutral flavor (canola, vegetable, etc.) while actively blending. It’s important to begin slowly! Feel free to speed your pour once you’ve used half of the oil. When all the oil is added you’ve made mayonnaise! Mix in a teaspoon of lemon juice if desired. 

  10. Trouble? Is the mayo not as firm as you’d like? Add another teaspoon of Dijon and mix further.

  11. *If using a blender and not a processor you may need to take breaks to periodically scrape the forming mayo down into the blades as you slowly add the oil.

  12. This can also be done in a medium mixing bowl with an immersion blender, or by hand with a balloon whisk if you’re a strong and patient whisker.

Sarah Gorman
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BLT with Basil-Garlic Aioli