Pan con Tomate
Catalan Tomato-Rubbed Toast (Pa amb Tomàquet)
There is no cooking here beyond toast. A ripe tomato is cut in half and rubbed into hot, rough bread until only the skin is left in your hand, then olive oil and salt go on top. It takes two minutes, and it is on the table at breakfast, with ham at lunch and beside almost anything in Catalonia.
The Spanish recipe read toasts slices of country loaf until crisp outside and still soft within, rubs them with half a garlic clove and then with half a very ripe tomato until the surface is covered, and finishes with good olive oil and salt. It describes the dish as a breakfast standard of Catalan cooking.
Outside Catalonia the same idea appears as tostada con tomate, usually with the tomato grated first and spooned on.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices of country bread or sourdough, about 2 cm thick
- 2 very ripe medium tomatoes, halved across
- 1 garlic clove, halved (optional)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt
Method
- Toast Toast the bread under a hot grill or in a toaster for 2 to 3 minutes a side, until the surface is crisp and rough but the middle still gives when pressed.
- Rub While the toast is hot, rub one side lightly with the cut garlic, if using. Then rub the cut side of a tomato half firmly over each slice, squeezing as you go, until the bread is red and wet and you are left holding the skin.
- Dress Pour about 1 tbsp of olive oil over each slice, sprinkle with flaky salt and eat at once, before the toast softens.
Rub while the toast is hot. Cold toast will not take up the juice.