Green goddess bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich recipe
With a gazillion seasonal recipes flooding the Internet -- Thanksgiving and Chanukah collided last week, Christmas and New Year's recipes are piling up, and elaborately-decorated sugar cookies just might take over the planet -- I'm here to offer you, quite simply, the very best bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich I've ever tasted. I can't take credit for it; that honor belongs to Picco, a little pizza restaurant across the street from my house in Boston. Their BLT is off the menu until tomato season next summer, but I couldn't wait that long to have it again, and I don't want you to wait, either. Spring for a single out-of-season heirloom tomato at the market, if you must; this BLT is worth it. Salty, garlicky, herby green goddess dressing seduces the crisp bacon, juicy tomato and crunchy lettuce in a way that plain old mayonnaise cannot. Two pieces of toasted or grilled bread (Picco chars theirs in wood-fired ovens) hold it all together. Stairway to BLT heaven, I promise.
Green goddess bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich
From the pantry, you'll need: bacon, anchovy paste, garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, lemon.
Sandwich inspired by Picco Restaurant in Boston; dressing adapted from this recipe on Simply Recipes. Makes 4 sandwiches; can be multiplied (dressing makes enough for 10-12 sandwiches).
Ingredients
For the dressing:
2 tsp anchovy paste
2 small cloves garlic
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 scallions, white and green parts, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
For the sandwiches:
8-12 slices center-cut bacon (2-3 per sandwich, to taste)
8 slices rustic white or sourdough bread
4 leaves of romaine lettuce
2-3 medium, ripe tomatoes
Directions
In a blender, combine all ingredients for the dressing, and process until smooth. Set aside. (Can be made up to a week in advance, and stored in the refrigerator.)
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set the bacon out in a single layer in the pan. When the oven is hot, place the pan in the oven, and cook for 12-15 minutes, until the bacon is as crisp as you like it. Remove from the oven, and drain the bacon on a plate covered with paper towels.
To assemble the sandwiches: Toast the bread in a toaster or on a panini press. Set out the 8 slices on the counter. Slather all of the slices with dressing. Top 4 of the slices with lettuce, bacon, and tomato. Close the sandwiches, cut in half with a serrated knife, and serve.
More bacon, because bacon makes everything better:
Bacon guacamole, from The Perfect Pantry
Bacon jam and cheese panini, from The Perfect Pantry
Smoky shrimp, corn and bacon chowder, from The Perfect Pantry
BLT naan pizza with bacon, arugula and tomato, from Cookin' Canuck
Bacon lettuce and tomato BLT spring rolls, from White on Rice Couple
Need more creative ideas for using tomatoes all year round? Get 25 Tomatoes, my e-book packed with fantastic recipes, full-color photos and a fun video tutorial. With the FREE Kindle Reading app, delicious tomato recipes will always be just one click away on any computer, tablet or smart phone. Click here to learn more.
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Thank you!!!
If I see another cookie recipe I will go mad! From whence this cookie mania? A recipe for heart attacks, liver attacks & upset stomachs!
Oh, man,Lydia, you made everything sound wonderful, delightful, and delicious. I am smiling broadly at your introductory paragraph. I have to make this. Yes, I'll spring for a single heirloom tomato. I'll even get a bit of bacon (usually not a favorite) because this description is purely irresistible.
Eleni, I'm with you. No more cookies!
Connie, BLTs are an occasional treat for me, so when I have one, I want it to be great. I promise, this is a great sandwich, and worth the small indulgence.
I think I have just fallen in love with Eleni (first commenter!) I am so over cookies right now. How can this not taste amazing!
Kalyn, I'm not posting a single cookie recipe this month. We all need a counterpoint from the savory side.
OMG! This is heaven on sourdough!!
Pauline, I'm at least 100% sure you will love this!
That Green Goddess Dressing sounds amazingly good Lydia!
OMG! It looks SO yummi! that will be my breakfast every morning, thanks for sharing the recipe!
Everytime I have Green Goddess dressing I ask myself why I don't have it more often. This looks like a mighty fine use for it!
Jeanette, I found a few other uses for the dressing -- it's that good.
Betzabeth, breakfast! Wow!
Pam, same here. I haven't made it for so many years, and now I can't stop eating it.
See, that is why we don't eat more sandwiches around here. We use bland old mayo. I love this dressing which could have a million uses. And nothing beats a great BLT!
Jamie, once I made this dressing, I started putting it on everything. And now I can't imagine why I ever stopped making it!
Lydia ,
I can't do it. I can't buy a store tomato in Ohio in December. However, I can save this for July, when I will make and enjoy a BLT (sometimes, when the lettuce is too hot to grow, the L becomes another B for Basil) because this dressing sounds amazing. I "forced" myself to make tomato sandwiches at least once a week through November (my wonderful farmers gave me a few precious heirloom tomatoes to feed my spouse who didn't return from deployment until after the first frost) so I can wait until July. Then bring it on!
And yeah, I'm over the whole cookie thing too. I will share one holiday sweet recipe--candied grapefruit peel. I will make and eat cookies, don't get me wrong, but ya gotta eat other things, too, and that's where I come in.
Picco!! I haven't been in a long time and I only think of them as pizza and ice cream - but I shall kick off tomato season with them in the summer!! BLTS are my favorite sandwich!!