Caprese Sandwich

From the garden

• 2 large ripe slicing tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, left whole

From the pantry

• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced and patted dry
• 4 ciabatta rolls (or a loaf of crusty bread, cut into 4 lengths), split
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar · or thick balsamic glaze
• flaky or kosher salt
• black pepper

1. Lay the tomato slices on a rack or paper towels, salt them generously, and let them sit 10 minutes. This seasons them deeply and pulls off the juice that would otherwise soak the bread.
2. Split the rolls and brush the cut sides with olive oil. If the crumb is very soft, pull out a little of the middle so the fillings sit down in the bread instead of sliding out.
3. Layer the bottom halves: mozzarella first (it grips the bread), then the blotted tomato slices, then a generous shingle of whole basil leaves.
4. Drizzle with balsamic and a thread more olive oil, grind over black pepper, and check the salt. The mozzarella side usually wants a pinch.
5. Cap, press down firmly for a few seconds so the layers knit together, and slice. Eat soon, while the bread is still crisp.