Dining and Cooking
Pan Con Tomate: Spanish Tapas / Lunch Idea For Summer
In Breads and Bakery

Pan Con Tomate: Spanish Tapas / Lunch Idea For Summer



PAN CON TOMATE

Growing up, we used to visit friends in Spain – Fernando y Gusti – and I have fond memories of lots of different things from when we visited, but namely what we ate whilst visiting them.

Two specific meals stand out in my memories – a fresh roast chicken, eaten al fresh on the balcony, with french fries that were COVERED in vinegar. Now it might be because I am a fiend for all things vinegar, but I swear I can still taste that meal. And I loved it.

The other is when Gusti made us a sandwich for lunch and instead of using butter, she rubbed a tomato on the bread to flavour it. This blew my mind. Growing up in Scotland, butter is a right of passage. It still is for me (hence the mention in my bio, I live for butter), but this got me thinking about how different cultures create adaptions of meals I know and love celebrating their own wonderful produce.

So since tomatoes are in season – let’s make Pan Con Tomato as a nod to Gusti and her introduction to me of rubbing tomato on bread.

Ingredients
Bread
Olive Oil
Garlic Clove
Tomato @rootsfruitsandflowers
@blackthornseasalt

Method
1. Drizzle bread with olive oil and either airfry it or pan fry it until toasted
2. Rub toast with garlic clove
3. Chop top off tomato and grate it
4. Discard the excess liquid
5. Add sea salt to taste and then scoop tomato mixture onto the garlicky toasted bread and enjoy!
_________
#tomato #tomatoseason #pancontomate #spanishfood #tapas #lunch #lunchideas

Growing up, we used to visit family friends in Spain. My dad had met Fernando over the radio when he was 18, and I still remember the first time I saw Gusty rubbing bread with a tomato. The idea that you would use anything other than butter blew my mind. But she taught me something that day. So whilst we have gorgeous tomatoes in season in Scotland, make this pan contamat recipe and caption.

24 Comments

  4. @Fidel_L.Bousquet1970

    That's NOT how you make real "pan con tomate". You rub the tomatoes (not those big ones, smaller ones that are round and juicier) on the bread, you don't grind the tomatoes. They only do that on cheap bars because it's faster and easier to have that "sauce" already made. But it tastes 100% better with a fresh tomato rubbed on the bread.

  12. @global001

    ‘Dad meet Fernando over the radio when he was 18’. Are we talking some sort of amateur radio frequency surfing or FM/AM commercial radio stations? Love that radio communication was the social media of the 70/80’s and your dad made a friend which shaped your culinary future.