35 minMediumBright and messy
Sunday Market Pasta with Too Much Lemon
The market bag gave us more herbs than judgment and we leaned into it.
Lemonmarket lunch
Recipe · High summer
The Tomato Toast We Keep Making Too Late
Toast rubbed with garlic, thick tomatoes, butter, salt, and enough black pepper to make the kitchen smell awake again.
12 minEasyToo late but worth itTomatoPosted July 9, 2026
It is usually too late when this happens. We have already cleaned the counter, already made tea, already said the kitchen is closed. Then we notice the tomatoes on the sill and change our minds.
The only rule is that the toast has to stay a little too dark and the tomatoes have to be sliced thicker than seems polite.
Ingredients
For two late toasts
- 2 thick slices country bread
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- Soft salted butter
- Olive oil
- Flaky salt
- Black pepper
- A few torn basil leaves, if they are around
Method
- 01
Toast the bread until deep golden and a little uneven around the edges.
- 02
Rub the hot toast with the cut side of the garlic. Butter it while it is still hot so the surface turns shiny instead of stodgy.
- 03
Slice the tomatoes thickly and lay them over the toast with a little overlap.
- 04
Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and finish with basil if you have it.
- 05
Eat standing up if you must, but put a plate under it because the tomatoes absolutely will slide.
What changes every time
- Sometimes we add anchovies and call it dinner.
- If the bread is too thin, we fry it in olive oil instead of toasting it.
- The salt changes depending on how serious the tomato is.
Inspired by
Summer tomatoes, too many midnight snacks, and the way good toast turns a kitchen back on.
Pairs well with
- Cold white beans with parsley
- A peach eaten over the sink
- Half a glass of chilled red wine
Keep cooking