Tomato bread is typical in Cataluña.  Before Barcelona, I had never heard of it (it wasn’t served in Granada), nor had I ever had a fancy for tomatoes.  Now, I’m hooked.  Pa amb tomàquet (the Catalán name) is a typical tapa, but also is used for sandwiches—if you order a ham sandwich, it’ll have smushed tomato on the bread.  It’s a delicious compliment to any meal, and a healthy snack.

Ingredients

You only need a five things you already have: bread, tomatoes, garlic, salt and olive oil.

I used roma tomatoes, but you can use anything–even cherry tomatoes.  Tip: try to use fat garlic cloves.

Step 1: Bread Preparation

I used a baguette, but you can use whatever bread you like.  It just needs to be thick.  But, if you even think about using plain white bread, shame on you!!! 😉

Cut the ends off of the baguette, cut vertically into pieces, and then cut the pieces in half down the middle

Once you have your bread cut, brush it with olive oil and broil for a few minutes.

Step 2: “The Smushing”

This is the fun part.  First, the garlic.  Peel your clove and cut off the end so you can smush it on the toasted bread.

Next, smush it all over your toasted bread.  As you smush and smush, the clove will wear down.  Unless you want to be smelling and tasting pa amb tomàquet for days, I recommend using a clove for every 3 pieces of bread.

After the garlic, you’re ready to smush the tomato.  Cut it in half longways and run it up and down the bread until you’re left with just the skin.

You’ll be left with the tomato skin.

Then, salt to taste and enjoy!