My husband and I just returned from a trip to Madrid and Barcelona. To say it was magic, is an understatement. I love Spain. I love the culture, the architecture, the people, the cities, the style and maybe most of all --- the food! My love for all things Spanish is not new. I have been drawn to this magnificient culture for a very long time.
In Barcelona, Pan con Tomate (bread with tomato) is served in most restaurants. Don't let the simple name mislead you --- it is the perfect start to a meal or in our case, Sunday afternoon snack! When we returned home from the trip, my husband had some tomatoes we had grown in the garden. (note: this is not the part of the blog where I tell you how simply amazing and effortless our backyard garden is. Actually, quite the opposite. We've never grown anything and have pretty much killed any potted flower I've ever brought home from the local garden store. This year, my husband planted a tomato plant --- no watering, no love --- but voila, we have delicious tomatoes. Quite frankly, it's a miracle :) ) Anyways, I digress. So we have these garden fresh tomatoes and with our Barcelona inspiration we made our very own Pan con Tomate ...it was absolutely fantastic. If you have lingering garden tomatoes, I urge you to give it a try but be warned, do not attempt this with grocery store "tomatoes" - the secret to the amazing Spanish cuisine is in the fresh, local produce. Garden or farmer's market tomatoes only for this, por favor!
Ingredients
| U.S. | Metric | Conversion chart |
- 8 slice(s) Catalan or peasant bread
- 1 clove(s) garlic, halved
- Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
- 1 really ripe tomato, cut in half
- Coarse sea salt
Directions
- Grill the bread or toast it under the broiler until browned on both sides. Rub with the garlic and drizzle with as much olive oil as you like. Rub and smash the tomato against the bread so that the pulp saturates the toast. Sprinkle with salt, and enjoy.
From Spain... A Culinary Road Trip ©2008 HarperCollins Publishers
(image via: Saveur.com)
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