Made with love ~ Early Girl Tomato Pan Bagna

I really do love to cook. Outside of the Beatles, It's been my longest romance. Sure, I've loved some great guys over the years but how can they compare to the perfect buckwheat crepe? Or the lightest of gnocchi? Or the sweetest ear of corn in the heart of July? Well, they certainly did compare...

I loved one man so much I called him my Sweet Pie, or maybe that's what he called me... Every summer I would bake him peach pies with blackberries from our bramble of blackberries; and grill flat bread with the ripest tomatoes and basil from our garden. Sometimes I even called him Honey.

For another I made trays of enchiladas with handfuls of grated chili cheese, and crema. And once I made a turkey with stuffing and gravy: it was summer.

Mustard-honey glazed ham with butter biscuits; warm deviled eggs with crumbled bacon; "toasties" bubbling with cheddar-beer sauce and crowned with melted onions. Simple dishes and all in the name of love...

So, you can imagine what romance the farmers market brings me, especially in summer.  The market is loaded with romance: fresh chickpeas still in their husks, sugary Charentais melons, the sweetest Lipstick and Pimento peppers, juicy Lady in Red peaches; and of course, the Early Girl tomato, with her perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.

And thank god she's come to Los Angeles; I've been waiting for her at the farmers markets for the past seven years. In San Francisco she has a cult following, but LA has it's own tomato, the Celebrity-- haha, which is also very good, but... And waiting to make my favorite French sandwich: Pan Bagna. Soaked in olive oil and pressed with a brick, it is typically layered with tuna and egg and olives and anchovies and peppers. It's practically a national dish; eaten all over the south of France.

But I like mine with Early Girl's and soft-boiled egg with olives, lemon and zataar. So, with just a few Girl's left I thought I had better share some of this summer romance with you. 

You're very welcome.

Early Girl Tomato Pan Bagna

~

soft boiled egg, olive, lemon and zataar 

here she is!

halve a roll, scratch with a garlic clove and drizzle with olive oil

lace with thin slices of lemon and pitted olives

zaatar ~ oregano, thyme, sumac, sesame

and sprinkle with zaatar

press the toppings into the bread

layer with sliced boiled egg and season with salt and pepper

sliced tomato, salt and pepper

glaze with more olive oil

weight with a heavy pan, brick, what have you

you can wrap in plastic and flatten in the fridge, too

Haha

after one hour, or more, remove weight

slice and eat

and, if you like, dip into zaatar while you eat