Tomato and white-bean toast for a quick lunch

This lunch relies on contrast: crisp bread, soft beans and tomatoes that still taste fresh. Use tomatoes that smell fragrant at the stem and feel ripe rather than hard. If yours are watery, remove some of the loose seed pulp before chopping. The beans should be a rough spread, not a completely smooth purée; a few whole ones make the toast more interesting to eat.

For two generous toasts

Allow about 15 minutes. You will need two thick slices of sourdough or another sturdy bread, one 400 g tin of cannellini beans drained and rinsed, 250 g ripe tomatoes, two tablespoons olive oil, one tablespoon lemon juice, a small handful of basil, salt and black pepper. An optional peeled garlic clove can be rubbed over the toast. Drain the beans well so the spread does not soak into the bread.

Mash, dress and toast

Put the beans in a bowl with one tablespoon of the oil and half the lemon juice. Mash with a fork until most are broken but the mixture retains some texture. Add a teaspoon of water only if necessary to help it spread. Taste before adding salt, especially if the beans came in salted liquid.

Dice the tomatoes and place them in a separate bowl. Add the remaining oil and lemon juice, a little black pepper and torn basil. Stir gently. Leave the tomatoes for a few minutes while you toast the bread; this gives you a chance to see how much juice they release.

Toast the bread on both sides until its surface is crisp enough to support the topping. If using garlic, rub a cut side lightly across the warm toast. Spread the beans all the way towards the edges, then lift the tomatoes onto them with a slotted spoon. Spoon over a little dressing rather than emptying the entire bowl onto the bread.

Serve now, keep the components apart

Eat while the toast is crisp, with a knife and fork if the slices are large. For a packed lunch, take the bean spread, tomatoes and bread in separate containers and assemble just before eating. Chilling assembled toast will not preserve its crunch. Refrigerate the prepared beans and tomatoes promptly in covered containers and use within 48 hours; toast fresh bread for the next serving. Discard food that has been left out beyond safe holding times rather than trying to rescue it by chilling later.

If the topping tastes flat, add lemon a few drops at a time before reaching for more salt. If it tastes sharply acidic, another small spoon of beans can soften the balance. A thin slice of toast will collapse under this quantity, so either choose sturdy bread or divide the mixture between more, smaller pieces.