The first time I saw a Pan con Tomate recipe, it went right on my “must make” list of recipes. It’s as delicious as I knew it would be. Grilled crusty bread, brushed with olive oil and rubbed with garlic, then topped with grated fresh tomato. Mmmmm.
Pan con Tomato is easy to make and delicious on its own. You can experiment with other toppings, such as fresh basil, sliced nectarines, creamy burrata or buffalo mozzarella.
I topped my Pan con Tomate with fresh ricotta and drizzled some radish green pesto over it.
This recipe serves two people (two slices each).
Tips
- I recommend using a thick crusty bread, such as a sourdough or French boule, ciabatta or another crusty Italian loaf.
- Grill the bread if you can. If that isn’t possible, toast it under the broiler until golden brown (watch it carefully, so that it doesn’t burn).
Ingredients
- 4 slices crusty bread (about 1 1/2 inches thick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or a little more)
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 large heirloom tomatoes
- Sea salt, to taste
- Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally.
Put a box grater over a large shallow bowl and, starting from the cut side, grate the tomatoes on the largest holes until all that remains are the tomato skins. Finely chop the skins and mix them into the grated tomatoes. Set aside.
Heat your grill in preparation for grilling the bread.
Brush one side of each slice of bread with olive oil.
Put the slices, oiled side up, on the grill and grill the bread until the bottom is lightly browned. Flip the bread and grill the other side. Remove from the heat.
Cut the garlic clove lengthwise down the middle. Rub the cut side over the top side of each bread slice.
Add a little salt and pepper to the grated tomatoes, stir and then spoon the tomatoes (including the liquid) over the toast. Let the toast sit for a minute, so that the bread absorbs some of the tomato juice.
Drizzle a little more oil and sprinkle a little extra salt over the top before serving.
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