Pan con Tomate (Catalan Tomato Bread)

La storia di questo piatto

In Catalonia, bread is never merely bread: it is the quiet ground on which the whole table rests. Pan con tomate is that devotion made visible: country bread, ripe tomato, garlic, oil and flaked sea salt, nothing hidden and nothing missing.

Ingredienti

• 4 thick slices Rustic country bread, sliced
• 2 medium Ripe tomatoes
• 1 clove Garlic
• 4 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch Flaky sea salt

Preparazione

1. Cut the bread into slices about two fingers thick so the inside stays soft and the outside becomes crisp. Place them on a very hot griddle or grill, or in an oven preheated to 220°C, and turn them halfway through cooking. They are ready when the surface is golden and crisp outside but still soft inside. Stay close by, because bread goes from golden to burnt in an instant.
2. Take the slices straight off the heat while they are still warm, because the heat opens the pores and lets the aroma in. Rub each slice with a raw garlic clove, with a firm hand but without overdoing it: one pass is enough. If the bread cools, the garlic slides off without leaving a trace, so don't linger between steps.
3. Cut the tomatoes in half. Press the cut side of each half against the toasted slice and rub, turning it, until the pulp and juice transfer into the bread. Discard the skin left in your hand. Choose truly ripe tomatoes, almost soft to the touch: they give the most juice and flavor. You are done when the slice is well soaked and smells of fresh tomato.
4. Finish with a generous drizzle of good oil, the kind you would use raw on an important dish, and a pinch of flaky salt: it will melt slowly, leaving the occasional little crunch under the teeth. Taste a bite before serving and adjust the salt if needed. Serve immediately: as time passes the bread softens and loses its festive note.