Tomatoes Take Center Stage - NYTimes.com Whenever July rolls around I look forward to testing recipes for what is now my annual Recipes for Health tomato week. My own tomatoes are ripening on the vine, and tomatoes are the main event at farmers" markets. There is little room in my repertoire at this time of year for dishes that don't include tomatoes, but this week I kept it pretty simple. As I experienced the pleasure of one of the many tomato sandwiches I made, I wondered why I bother ordering club sandwiches or anything with fresh tomatoes at any other time of year; I usually don't but sometimes I'm confronted with a menu that doesn't give me much of a choice. This week I tried a new recipe for roasting tomatoes. I roasted them for 2 hours at a low temperature (300 degrees), which didn't dry them out completely but intensified everything about them. The juices concentrated inside of the tomatoes" cut surfaces and slightly leathery skins, becoming unimaginably sweet. I had to remind myself to lean over my plate, or the sink, so that the juice, whose sweetness was set off by the small amount of salt I'd sprinkled onto the tomatoes, wouldn't get on my shirt. I snacked on them all week, and also put them through a food mill for sauce. They will definitely become a habit, along with the fresh tomato sandwiches I've been eating for lunch every day. This won't stop until September. Super Tomato Sandwiches I never could resist a tomato sandwich. It is the combination of mayonnaise, tomatoes and bread that is so compelling. I call these MLTs: mayonnaise, lettuce and tomatoes. I make a spicy mayo with chipotle adobo (my son's favorite), and an herbal mayo with tarragon (my favorite). Play around with aioli and other flavored mayonnaises. Use whole grain bread and toast it lightly so that it doesn't get soggy. The tomatoes should overlap in a thick layer. Adobe Mayonnaise 2 tablespoons regular or vegan mayonnaise 1 to 2 teaspoons (to taste) adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles Tarragon Mayonnaise 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon 1 teaspoon vinegar (red wine, sherry or white wine) Super MLT: Tomato Sandwich With Avocado and Lettuce 1 tablespoon either mayonnaise, above 2 slices whole wheat or mixed grains sandwich bread, lightly toasted 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, sliced Salt and pepper if desired (don't salt if you are not eating right away because the tomatoes will release too much juice) 1/4 medium avocado, thinly sliced Lettuce, arugula, or spring greens Fresh basil leaves if desired Spread mayonnaise on both slices of the lightly toasted bread. Arrange tomato slices in a thick overlapping layer on top of the bottom slice. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil if desired (do not salt if not eating right away). Place a layer of thin avocado slices on top of the tomatoes and top with lettuce leaves and the top slice of bread. Press down firmly and cut the sandwich in half. You can wrap and transport the sandwich, as the toasted bread will resist becoming soggy for a few hours. Yield: 1 sandwich Advance preparation: Juicy tomatoes will eventually cause the sandwich to fall apart, but wrap it well and it will keep for a few hours. I have sent the sandwich to camp with my son and got no reports of it falling apart. Nutritional information per serving: 357 calories; 21 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 milligrams cholesterol; 35 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 386 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 10 grams protein