31 Aug Savouring Summer: Pan con Tomate (Tomato Toast)
Late summer is always a celebration. The days linger and lounge, hanging heavily in the August heat. When the weather’s good, you need a breakfast that will match the dawn’s beauty. Pan con Tomate is that exact snack. So simple, it makes the most of the season’s peak.
If you’re like me, growing tomatoes is almost a yearly ritual. I think the love of them came from a trip around Italy many, many, years ago.
I can distinctly remember heading into a local market and almost being hypnotised by the smell coming from the fresh crate of higgledy-piggledy shaped toms. Their flavour was exceptional. A complete antithesis to the tomatoes available all year round in the UK’s supermarkets. It was the catalyst for me to start growing my own. Although, often the crop is a little hit and miss… Blame the UK’s interesting weather patterns and not having room for a greenhouse!
Pan con Tomate, or tomato toast, is a recipe that is most joyful because of its simplicity. It requires just 5 ingredients and apart from toasting up some sourdough, no other cooking is required. It’s a fairly traditional Spanish breakfast and you can why. Who would pass on the perfect way to show off the best local produce just as the day begins.
Grab yourself some fresh toms, the best sourdough you can find and enjoy this celebration of summer!
NOTES:
- There are a couple of ways to create tomato pulp. I find a box grater to be the easiest way, but some cut the tomato in half and then rub it direct onto the toast.
- Take it easy when grating… I definitely haven’t caught my finger on the grater when getting a bit too over enthusiastic. Never.
YOU’LL NEED:
- A few tomatoes, I did around 4 or 5 for a couple of rounds of toast.
- Clove of garlic
- Sourdough, cut for thick slices of toast. Thick so it can soak up the tomatoey goodness
- A glug of good olive oil
- Sea salt
OPTIONAL:
- Basil leaves
- a dash of chilli
METHOD:
- Start by toasting your bread. You want fairly thick slices or good sourdough.
- Grate your tomatoes into a bowl. Easier to cut them in half first and grate the cut side. The skin will separate from the pulp.
- Add a glug of olive oil and season with salt. You can also now add in a few torn basil leaves and chilli flakes, if using.
- IMPORTANT PART! Rub a raw garlic clove onto your toasted bread. Really go for it, because the flavour of garlic in the morning is divine!
- Spoon the pulp onto your toasted bread and drizzle over a little more olive oil with a small sprinkle of sea salt. Enjoy immediately as the tomato will quickly soak into the bread!
- If making for friends, stack the bread onto a board and deliver to the table with the bowl of tomatoes. It’s a breakfast that’s all about some self-assembly action!
I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s so simple and delicious! Please do let me know if you give it a try and what you thought of it and remember to check back for more seasonal recipes.
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