At Grizzly this year, we wanted to highlight beefsteak tomatoes in a sandwich. And we made sure they were fresh and juicy (saving the slow cooked tomato vibe for colder months). Naturally a caprese sandwich jumped to mind, with its tangy tomato slices wedged between thick-cut fresh mozzarella and a punchy pesto. A caprese is an unfussy sandwich that lets the tomato be the star. Our recipe fell into place pretty quickly, making a pesto from the pumpkin seeds we use in our Midnight Rye and heaps of fresh parsley and basil. For the bread, something like a ciabatta is ideal because of its soft chewy texture and crisp outside. Thus, Grizzly’s Caprese Sando was born.
Few fruits have taken the globe with the same force. From pastas to salsas to saucy dumplings to spicy curries, the presence of tomatoes in kitchens across the globe could deceive you into thinking of it like salt or water, an ever-present resource in cooking from the dawn of time. But that’s just good marketing.
Its meteoric rise from a berry in the Western Andes of South America to a mainstay in gardens on every continent (yes, including Antarctica) has only taken a couple hundred years. After making its way north into Mexico, the humble tomato caught the attention of Spanish explorers in the 15th century who then introduced the seeds to Europe. The rest is actually history, and one with dramatic ups and downs——including the mysterious deaths of European aristocrats consuming high levels of lead from the pewter dinnerware reacting to the tomato’s acidity. Rest assured, for something so delicious, a little scandal couldn’t end its path to stardom.
Over the past few centuries of careful tending, humanity has unknowingly united around its effort to breed different varieties: from perfectly round cherry tomatoes to massive gnarly heirloom versions, each with qualities unique to its variety but each also composed of the same principle parts. The anatomy of every tomato includes a highly aromatic skin, a meaty outer fruit wall, a firm central pith, and a semiliquid jelly with juices and seeds. But most important is the magic of flavour transformation that occurs when it’s cooked. Bite into a slice of fresh tomato and then swallow a spoonful of slow cooked marinara sauce, and you’ll see for yourself. It’s basically alchemy.
Now if you’re wondering why we wax poetic about tomatoes, try talking to us at the bakery——we promise it only gets worse. Save yourself the trouble and stop by any of our shops to try the Caprese Sando for yourself. You’ll see what we mean. After all, it’s a tomato’s world and we’re all just living in it.
