WOOD FIRED PAN CON TOMATE

This fast and simple recipe of wood fired pan con tomate will become your most popular appetizer when you have outdoor get-togethers.

WHAT IS PAN CON TOMATE?

My father-in-law was raised in Spain, in the Balearic Islands and it was he who introduced me to pan con tomate (bread with tomato), this classic of spanish tapa bars, especially in Catalonia.

The pan con tomate is mind boggling in it’s simplicity but has an out his this world taste.

It really benefits from being prepared on toast on the campfire or the grill of a BBQ. The taste of burnt toast balances the sweet acidity of the tomato wonderfully!

PAN CON TOMATE INGREDIENTS

• Bread – Probably the most important ingredient. I use my own bread.
• Garlic – The more the better.
• Tomatoes – Fresh is best but you can also use good quality canned tomatoes.
• Olive oil – Also super important ingredient! Better quality olive oil is best!
• Toppings – You can use salt or dry-cured ham.

WHAT TYPE OF BREAD FOR PAN CON TOMATE?

The bread being the number one ingredient that will determine if your pan con tomate can hold up to it’s reputation, literally and figuratively, it has to be a nice country bread.

I will say it here and loud; it is FORBIDDEN to use store bought sliced white bread. Anything that resembles Wonderbread should not be used for this recipe.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a bread snob! To make PB&J sandwiches, Wonderbread is the best but not for pan con tomate. It’s not strong enough!

That being said I have the good fortune of knowing how to make my own bread. Crunchy crust and a beautifully moist yet firm inside is the way to go for this recipe.

ASSEMBLING YOUR FAMOUS SPANISH TAPA

Now that you have the proper bread. Let’s look at the rest of the recipe.

You will have to make a fire and wait for it to be nice and hot. Place you grill grate over the fire and toast that bread! You want the bread toasted not burnt, so ideally cook your bread in indirect heat.

The toasted surface of your bread makes it easier to rub the garlic cloves. Your fingers will be very garlicky. To prevent that you can hold the garlic with a paper towel. I don’t mind so I go free finger!

This thin layer of garlic is great barrier for the next step which is literally squishing the tomatoes on the bread. Not a big thick layer but get that tomato on the whoile surface.

After the bread quality, olive oil quality is essential! There are two type of olive oil: cooking olive oil and finishing olive oil. the latter is the good stuff. My husband is a huge fan of oilve oil. Not just any olive oil but Spanish oil. So that’s what we use.

When I am feeling lazy I will simply add salt. Not regular table salt, your dish deserves better. I use Fleur de Sel. It’s big, it’s crunchy and oddly less salty then table salt.

When I am feeling fancy I will use a dry-cured ham. The best choice would be Spanish dry-cured ham like Serrano or even better Iberico ham. Using Prosciutto is an excellent choice as well.

DID NOT FIND A GOOD PAN CON TOMATE IN BARCELONA

I was lucky enough to go to spain a few years ago for my husbands birthday. We went to Barcelona, the city that my husband was born in.

The city is one of the most beautiful I have ever visited. So much history!

We would walk all day and finish with some tapas. You have to understand that pinchos (finger food) are hugely popular in Spain. You go to a tapas bar and have some wine while eating tapas.

Believe it or not, we did not find a single tapas bar with a decent pan con tomate! So enjoy this recipe it’s the best you will ever have!