I’m a firm believer that a weekend just isn’t complete without a visit to one of the many farmers markets here in Little Rock. Often times, coming across all these fresh, locally-grown ingredients is all the inspiration I need to create a satisfying dish once I get home.
Nothing … and I mean nothing, beats fresh, Arkansas-grown tomatoes. Purists will simply eat them with a crack of pepper and a touch of salt. But for me, it doesn’t get better than including a huge slice as part of a traditional BLT sandwich.
We’ll get to the sandwich in a second, but first, let’s turn our focus back to the beloved tomato.
I purchased a pair of ugly ones from Robert at the Garden Willow Springs Market table during the Bernice Garden Farmer’s Market (10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays). I say “ugly,” because the tastiest local tomatoes won’t win any beauty contests, a notion which proved correct on this Sunday morning. These oversized, lumpy green and red tomatoes were literally bursting at the seams, a sign that they were ripe and ready to be eaten.
As a side note, I highly encourage you to check out Robert’s table at the farmers market. There’s always a variety of unique fruits and vegetables at his booth, including things like mulberries, pawpaw and burgundy okra.
Once home, I sprinkled some salt and pepper onto a thickly-sliced piece of tomato and paired it with some 8-grain bread from Boulevard, along with a handful of shredded iceberg lettuce and crispy fried bacon. Finally, I also added some mashed, ripened avocado on one of the slices of toasted bread.
Perfection!
The salty bacon and creamy avocado were wonderful complements to the flavorful tomato, and while the lettuce doesn’t add much in taste, it did bring an overall freshness to the sandwich.
Remember, when it comes to an Arkansas tomato, just keep it simple and enjoy!