Pan con Tomate

Pan con Tomate

A simple Spanish-style tomato toast built around ripe tomatoes, good olive oil, garlic, and rustic bread. It works especially well when the tomatoes are very ripe because their juices soak lightly into the crisp bread without needing a sauce or processed spread.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mediterranean, Spanish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 170kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 slices rustic whole-grain sourdough bread about 40 g each, preferably made without added sugar, preservatives, or highly processed oils
  • 2 large very ripe tomatoes, about 240 g
  • 2 small garlic cloves peeled
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil about 27 g
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper optional

Instructions

  • Toast the bread. Toast or grill the sourdough until the exterior is crisp and lightly browned while the center remains slightly chewy.
  • Prepare the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half. Grate the cut sides against the large holes of a box grater, allowing the pulp and juices to fall into a bowl. Stop when you reach the skin and discard the remaining skin.
  • Season. Stir about half of the olive oil and a small pinch of sea salt into the grated tomato.
  • Rub with garlic. While the toast is still warm, lightly rub one side of each slice with a peeled garlic clove. A little goes a long way.
  • Assemble. Spoon the tomato mixture generously over each piece of toast.
  • Finish. Drizzle with the remaining extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining sea salt. Add freshly ground black pepper if desired.
  • Serve immediately. Pan con tomate is best while the bread is still crisp underneath and the tomato is fresh and juicy.

Notes

High Power Notes

This recipe already fits well with your High Power ingredient philosophy when made with a naturally fermented, minimally processed bread and extra-virgin olive oil. I would not add sugar to the tomatoes; ripe tomatoes provide plenty of natural sweetness.
For a lower-carbohydrate version, replace the sourdough with a sturdy homemade bread based on almond flour, lupin flour, bamboo fiber, oat fiber, psyllium, or a combination of those ingredients. Toast it quite well before adding the tomato so it can stand up to the moisture.
Chef tip: Don’t assemble these too far ahead. The tomato will eventually soften the toasted bread.

 

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