SERVES 6
PREPARATION 5 MINS
COOKING
1 loaf good quality, crusty bread
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled (optional)
6 tomatoes (the ripest and sweetest
you can find), halved
100ml (3fl oz) good-quality olive oil
2tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Cut the bread into 1-2cm (½in) slices and toast until lightly browned. Halve the garlic cloves, if using, and rub the cut side gently onto the toast while it's still hot.
2. Rub the cut side of a tomato half over the toast so that the juice and seeds pour over the top. Discard the rest of the tomato.
3. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with chopped parsley if you like, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
The recipe is from Barrafina, London's hip new tapas restaurant. Owners Sam and Eddie Hart say:
"This classic Catalan dish is eaten at nearly every meal throughout the region. It was originally devised to refresh stale bread and to use up a surplus of tomatoes (almost inevitable if you grow your own). Served on its own or with cold meats or marinated anchovies, pan con tomate is simple and delicious. When on holiday at our house in Mallorca, we eat this every day for breakfast. The secret is to use great tomatoes, delicious olive oil and really good bread."