Pan con Tomate: The Way Spain does Tapas

Cured ham is best served at room temperature and not cooked. If you’re a traditionalist, the best way to serve ham is by itself, alongside more ham or - if you must have an accompaniment - with Manzanilla Sherry or a glass of chilled Cava.

But ham draped over things? Yes, okay, we’ll let it slide. And we have a few recipes to share.

Take for instance Pan con Tomate, a simple Spanish toast with tomato and garlic coming from the Catalan region. This is a very simple hor d’oeuvre, tapa, or snack. It’s less of a recipe and more of an instruction or skill, and it can be done in so many different ways. You can cut tomatoes on a box grater and marinate them in oil and salt, make a tomato sauce to spoon onto the toast by roasting the tomatoes first or simply stewing them in a pot, or keep it traditional by simply rubbing a raw tomato over the toasted bread. We like to keep it simple when it’s the best.

Pan con Tomate

Mise en Place:

A good loaf of bread - we prefer freshly baked sourdough, a country loaf or baguette sliced on the bias

olive oil or garlic oil for toasting the bread

one whole peeled garlic clove

one ripe tomato

thinly sliced cured ham, like Jamon Serrano (choose something delicious but not necessarily expensive)

Tools:

cast iron pan for toasting

What to Do:

Heat the pan over medium heat. Add olive oil or garlic oil to the pan and place slices of bread in the fat. When the bread is perfectly toasted (golden brown and delicious), remove from the pan, and rub a clove of garlic over the toasted side.

Slice the tomato in half and rub the cut side over the toast until the toast is coated or when all that’s left of the tomato is the skin (the crunchy bread acts like a grater - I promise it will work). Sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper. Slice on a heavy bias (for easier eating), drape thinly sliced pieces of ham over the toast, and drizzle with olive oil.