August 15th 2011
Pan con Tomate is a very simple, yet extraordinarily delicious way of serving bread with a meal. In Cataluña, where it originates, all meals come with tomato bread (pa amb tomàquet – the Catalan name), instead of plain old sliced bread.
Pan con Tomate recipe:
a few slices of good quality bread (mine’s brown sourdough)
garlic
ripe juicy tomatoes
Spanish extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
Cut and toast some sourdough bread – ideally on a barbecue. Bruise a piece of garlic and chop off the bottom (there’s no need to peel it), then rub the garlic into the toast. Slice a tomato in half and rub/squeeze the juice and seeds into the bread (dispense with the tomato skin). Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Pan con Tomate is absolutely fantastic with all Spainsh food – it goes particularly well with ajoblanco, chorizo, jamón serrano, sardinas, tortilla, etc.
The origin of this bread dish is in pan con aceite (or pa amb oli in Catalan) – bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. I don’t doubt that using bread this way was to ensure that nothing was wasted – stale bread toasted and revitalised!
I like this on toasted sourdough, but you will find it on fresh bread, served in all Catalan restaurants. Generally it arrives preprepared, but some serve bread, garlic, oil, salt and a whole tomato.
This is my (almost) daily breakfast – minus the ajo but with a good storng café solo. In fact love it so much, I did a post about it too! Aah, the simple things in life are often the best.
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I have used this little party trick to great advantage ever since you startled me with its decadence and superb flavour enhancing magic. It is a mysterious recipe that has unbelievable results. I feel very cultured and appear well versed in culinary tricks whenever I perform this demonstration to initiates.
I shall be forever indebted to you for this , if nothing else.
xxx
ps… of course there are other debts , but this one will never be honoured for it is so very very great that I shall never be able to thank you enough . The simplicity is outstanding.
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¡qué rico!!
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