Bread with Tomato

Bruschetta. Pan con tomate. Pa amb tomàquet. It has many names, but tomato on toast in one form or another is one of the best things you can do with fresh or overripe tomatoes and it’s so easy and versatile. Once made, it stores in the fridge for 3-4 days and if, for whatever reason, you don’t finish it in that time, chuck it in a stew, soup, pasta sauce or pasty filling and it makes the most beautifully seasoned tomato base.

If, like me, you hate to waste food, then save the tomato water collected from this recipe and use it to make my rather untraditional but beautifully tasty tomato consommé.

Before we dive into the recipe, you may have noticed a style change in the food photography for this post. I’ve been doing some Skillshare courses (which we aren’t sponsored by) and learning from the great Sean Dalton. So I hope you enjoy the new tone and look of the images. It’s far more natural and I hope to celebrate more of the narrative around the food I’m photographing as well as the sobering beauty of Welsh daylight.

Wales, Spain and Blight

With the late summer rains comes an all-to-common bane to outdoor gardeners, tomato blight. Mine hung on for a long time this year and I managed to get quite a few fully ripened fruits straight from the vine, but alas blight struck last week. I’ve saved what I could and left them to ripen in the sun on three south-ish facing window sills. Or that was the plan until Autumn arrived right on cue. Now my tomatoes watch the clouds and rain! But they still manage to ripen.

Because of this, I’m often stuck with a bunch of tomatoes that all suddenly ripen at once, or just one that decides it’s ready and jumps ahead of the rest. In this recipe, I’ll share both the traditional way to make tomàquet, as well as the bulk way that I learned at Ultracomida, (which will be the last of their recipes I share, along with my version of their tortilla, which can be found by clicking here). If you’re ever in Wales and want to experience a true taste of Spain, I couldn’t recommend Ultracomida enough. Hell, I’ve known of people travelling to Wales just to eat there! And if you’re in Cardiff, look at for Curado Bar and Vurmut next door. They’re all owned by the same amazing people.

Pa amb Tomàquet

Or Pan con tomate is a Spanish traditional food enjoyed across all regions of Spain, but recognised as a food of Catalan cuisine. Considered one of the quintessential dishes that define the Mediterranean diet, tomàquet is eaten as a snack or tapas along with any meal, from breakfast to dinner, and often comes served with cured fish, cheese, meat or grilled vegetables laid on top.

First appearing in Catalan in 1884 (according to historian Nèstor Luján), it is traditionally made with the Tomàtiga de Ramellet variety of tomato that has a more intense sour flavour than other varieties. When following the traditional Catalan recipe, there is an exact order that must be followed too. Firstly, you can toast the bread if you wish, but some don’t. Make sure your bread is rustic, preferably a sourdough round loaf (pa de pagès ("peasants' bread"). Then you rub the crumb with garlic, then tomato (hard enough to break the skin and squeeze the juices and flesh out). Sprinkle with salt (I use flor de sal for this as it has a beautifully delicate flavour and texture), then drizzle with olive oil. In Ultracomida, my head chef would refer to all olive oil by two names. There was ‘good oil’ and ‘oil’. Good oil meant anything extra virgin, dressing oil, with a lot of flavour. Everything else was cooking oil. This recipe requires ‘good oil’.

Bread with Tomato Recipe
500g Jar

• 470g Tomato

• 2 Pinches of salt

• 50ml Good olive oil

• 2 Cloves of garlic, crushed

• A peasants’ loaf

Step 1.

Hold the tomato by where the vine was joined to the fruit and rub the opposite side against the grater. Holding it this way anchors you to the core of the fruit, allowing the skin to split on the base and unfold as you push the flesh through the grater. Make sure to remove as much of the flesh as possible, then set the skin aside and repeat.

The skin can be finely diced and added to a salsa.

Step 2.

Drain the grated tomato of water by straining it in a sieve, then add the salt, olive oil and crushed garlic. Mix well and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Step 3.

Finally, cut a nice chunk of bread and lightly toast it. Spread the tomato thinly over the surface and rub it into the toast. Drizzle with extra oil and eat whilst warm.