On our first day in Barcelona, an American chef taught me the authentic way to make the quintessential Spanish snack: pan con tomate, or “tomato bread.” It just sounds better to say “pan con tomate.”
This is one of those recipes where the ingredients drive the recipe. You want the best artisanal bread, ripe tomatoes, good olive oil and garlic. The chef used what the locals call “hanging tomatoes” and said that American Campari tomatoes come close (not quite IMO, but we’ll go with what we’ve got), slices of a lightly toasted baguette, fat cloves of garlic and Spanish olive oil.
To make pan con tomate, split a garlic clove in half, pole to pole, and rub the cut surface it into the bread, being sure to get into the corners. Split the tomato across the equator, and rub it into the bread until the pulp is on the bread and you’re left with a papery tomato skin in your hand. (My experience is this takes a very special tomato and I’m still trying to find the right tomato stateside).
Finish your toast with a sprinkle of salt and swirl of olive oil. This is a breakfast (or snack) for queens! The garlic is sharp, the tomato is sweetly acidic and the bread is crunchy and yeasty. Salt and olive oil just make it all better.
Try pan con tomate when you have fresh tomatoes and good bread on hand. And let me know if you’ve found acceptable tomatoes stateside for this dish.
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