The BMT Sandwich

Charlotte and I first learned about the Basil-Mozzarella-Tomato sandwich in 2005 when we were traveling around Europe. It’s common to see them in sandwich shops or even vending machines at train stations. It’s a great sandwich because it’s cheap and even cold it tastes good and satisfies your hunger. It can also be baked in Panini style with endless options to add complimentary ingredients.

Since our discovery of the BMT sandwich it has become a staple in our diet. It’s especially good during the summer when we have delicious vine ripened tomatoes from the garden, along with lots of other goodies to throw in the mix. Tomatoes, Olive Oil, and Basil are all considered super-foods, so it’s a healthy choice and a great vegetarian alternative to the classic BLT.

In this BMT example I’m using Italian hearth bread from a local bakery in Portland call Delphinas. We buy the bread from Trader Joe’s, along with the mozzarella log that is made with milk not containing rGBH. The tomatoes are Early Girl and Roma tomatoes straight from our garden along with the Genovese Basil. As a bonus I harvested a Hungarian Yellow Wax Pepper from our garden for added flavor. The tater tots are 365 brand from Whole Foods Market, they make a great accessory.

Ingredients:

Fresh Basil Leaves- Not basil from a spice jar, but real basil leaves. You can buy them at the store or grow your own plant.

Mozzarella Cheese- preferably from a mozzarella log.

Bread- French bread style works well but try different kinds to see what you like.

Fresh Tomatoes- It’s important to have tasty fresh tomatoes since this is the majority of the flavor in the sandwich. There is nothing like vine ripe tomatoes, but if you don’t have that then spend the extra cash for some heirloom or other tasty variety from your local produce stand or farmers market.

Other- Peppers, meat, dressing, pico de gallo, other herbs, olives- the options are endless. Basically anything that can go on a pizza could be considered as an add-on.

Instructions for Panini style:

Apply olive oil to both pieces of bread. If your sandwiches are turning out soggy then slightly toast the bread before baking, the olive oil will keep it from getting too crispy. Likewise if you are using frozen bread then just slightly toast it beforehand. Add tomatoes to one piece of oiled bread and if desired add salt and pepper on top of tomatoes. On the other slice of oiled bread put the slices of mozzarella cheese and any peppers or other optional ingredients on top of the cheese so it melts in. Place a sheet of tin foil on top of a cookie sheet, and then place each piece of bread open face style on the tin foil. Cook in the oven for 5-10 minutes at a reasonable low temperature, around 365. A few minutes before your sandwich is done, take it out and add the basil on top of the cheese; this will keep the basil from drying out too much. Once finished put the two pieces of bread together to make a sandwich. Enjoy!

BMT Ingredients

The BMT Panini