Recipe by Lucy Heaver and Aisling Coughlan
Photos by Chris Middleton

Enjoy ripe tomatoes, soft buffalo mozzarella, and fragrant basil, all complemented by the crunch of toasted ciabatta.

Simple and elegant, it’s the perfect sandwich to savor on a summer afternoon.

• 2 ciabatta rolls, sliced in half
  

• Olive oil, for brushing
  

• 1 garlic clove, cut in half
  

• 3–4 tomatoes, thickly sliced
  

• 2 balls fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced
  

• A few basil leaves
  

Instructions:

1. To make the balsamic glaze, place the vinegar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vinegar has reduced by half and coats the back of a spoon.

2. Preheat a griddle pan to high.

3. Brush the cut sides of the ciabatta with olive oil then rub with the garlic. Place the ciabatta halves cut side down in the griddle pan and toast until char marks appear. This can take anywhere up to 10 minutes. Placing a plate on top of the ciabatta will help speed up this process and prevent your kitchen from filling up with smoke.

4. Layer slices of tomato and mozzarella on the bottom half of each ciabatta. Tear over a few basil leaves, then season with salt and plenty of cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of the balsamic glaze.