How to Make Pan Tomate

(Last Updated On: July 3, 2015)

If you’ve ever been to Costa Brava Spain, you’ve encountered Pan Tomate. Served at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and for snacks in between, this savory side dish  is simple perfection. It only requires 5 simple, common ingredients to make it. One of those ingredients is tomatoes. How fortunate that my heirloom tomatoes from my garden are giving it up this year.

• Well toasted bread – there should be a nice crusty surface.
• A small ripe tomato, slightly soft
• A garlic clove
• Olive Oil
• Course salt

 

We got a story and an illustration with our Pan Tomate lesson at TBEX in Costa Brava.

Here’s how you make it:

1. Cut the garlic clove in half and swipe lightly, once or twice across the toast. Do not overdo the garlic. You can skip it if you are not a garlic fan and/or fear garlic breath
2. Cut the tomato in half and rub it into the bread. Continue rubbing until the bread is good and tomato-ey or you are left with only skin
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salf

Once you’ve had it, you won’t want to set out another meal without it.