Need a signature summer party dish? The versatile Spanish classic pan con tomate—which can be eaten all day, from breakfast into the wee hours—is a cinch to prepare, requiring only ripe, meaty tomatoes, a fresh baguette, and good-quality olive oil.
We’ve been addicted to chef Marc Vidal’s version at Boqueria since the tapas spot opened in March, especially alongside some chilled sangria. Vidal serves marinated olives with the dish but says you can dress it up further with slices of cured meats like chorizo or jamón Serrano, or Spanish cheeses such as Manchego. Your guests can layer them atop the tomàquet spread for a richer snack.
Boqueria’s Pan con Tomate
Serves 10
Ingredients
1 classic French baguette, cut in half lengthwise and each half cut in half on a bias
2 tablespoons tomàquet (recipe below)
1 tablespoon Valderama olive oil or other high-quality olive oil
Pinch Maldon salt or other flaky finishing salt
1 tablespoon marinated olives, such as Amanida cocktail olives, for garnish
Tomàquet
Yields 1 quart, about 20 servings. The tomaquet can be stored in the fridge for up to one day.
Ingredients
2.5 pounds ripe tomatoes
1 clove garlic
¼ cup Spanish olive oil, such as Arbequina
Pinch kosher salt
Directions
Make the tomàquet. Cut the tomatoes in half and grate the pulp into a medium-size bowl using a box grater. Discard the skin.
Grate the garlic on a microplane into a separate small bowl. Mix the tomato, grated garlic, olive oil, and salt to taste.
Toast the bread lightly in a toaster, so that the top is crispy and the inside stays moist. Spoon 2 tablespoons of tomàquet over toasted bread, and add a drizzle of oil and a pinch of Maldon salt. Serve with marinated olives.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
