The South’s long hot summers are to blame for our love affair of the tomato sandwich. Tomatoes thrive in the heat, and I for one, wait all year long for that first perfect ripe southern bite. When I see the colorful varieties in the farmer’s market in June, it’s the same electric euphoria I feel when hearing the first “Jingle Bells” at Christmas. I get giddy with excitement, and Skeeter at Lee’s Produce is my summertime Santa. And if you ask a South Carolinian if summer has a taste, the collective answer would be a juicy red tomato, slathered with Duke’s mayo, and smashed between two slices of doughy Sunbeam bread. It is a trifecta of taste bud excellence; the ultimate comfort meal and a true working man’s sandwich. If it had been an option in college, I would have majored in Southern Folklore with a concentration in tomatoes and a minor in Duke’s mayo. It turns out having a grandfather who was a tomato whisperer and would make us sandwiches during his garden lunchbreak, was all the education I needed.
The sandwich’s ubiquity has made it the subject of perpetual reinterpretation and widespread additions over the years – toasted brioche, bacon jam, sprouts, avocado, fried egg, basil, seafood, flavored mayo – the list is infinite. Living with a husband whose kryptonite is tomatoes, I must be very thoughtful when planning dinner around it. Bacon is usually the bridge that connects our two palettes together. Today I served a BLT pasta salad for a small group of friends before heading to the beach which was the perfect combo of salty and sweet, soft and crunch, and the Duke’s homemade sauce is the glue that holds it all together.
I recently learned that a man in Bessemer, NC publicly declared his final wish was to be cremated and buried in a Duke’s mayo jar. While I didn’t expect David to eat any of the tomatoes (he ate a green and yellow – his first tomato on a sandwich ever – and he liked it!), we now share a passion, not only for mayo, but afterlife goals, too! However, David and I are requesting to be buried in the Duke’s jar together.
BLT Pasta Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into one-inch pieces
- 16 oz. Orecchiette whole wheat pasta, or small shells or bow tie – I use DeLallo
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 10 oz. cup frozen English peas, steamed
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook the bacon until crisp; set aside on a paper towel. Crumble when cooled.
- Cook pasta in heavily salted water according to package directions; strain and cool.
- In a small bowl, make the dressing--add the mayonnaise, lemon, salt, garlic and onion powders, pepper, and 1 tablespoon dill.
- In a large bowl, add the cooled pasta, tomatoes, peas, and remaining dill. Toss to combine.
- Add the dressing to the mixture; toss gently and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Add in bacon and lettuce right before serving.
