Spanish Tomato Bread

Summer fresh tomatoes are peeled and mashed and spread onto warm, toasted bread that has been rubbed with whole garlic cloves. Seasoned with ground black pepper and flaked sea salt, and a splash of olive oil, Spanish Tomato Bread is a popular tapas bar recipe!

I have no idea where I found this recipe, but I do know that it’s quite delicious! Spanish Tomato Bread, otherwise known as Catalan Tomato Bread or pa amb tomaquet, is so easy to make and is a great side to serve with a light summer pasta dish, or all on its own for a light and refreshing summertime lunch.

My brain works in overdrive all the time. I’m always looking for new recipes or thinking about ways to improve on the recipes I have already. On my phone, I have an app that allows me to record and document any ideas that I might have whenever I’m away from my desk. An example of when that might happen was when we went bowling last fall for John.e’s birthday. We had pizza at the bowling alley and it was delicious. I used my app to make a few notes so that I could experiment with the recipe later.

At night, I love to watch mukbangs on YouTube after I read a few chapters from whatever book I might be reading at the time. On occasion, I’ll pause the video to go to that app and make a note of some food item that I need to try all because that mukbanger was eating something I thought looked good.

Another thing I do is use Google Docs. At random, I’ll quickly open up a new document and write down recipe ideas. Sometimes, I make the recipe right away, and other times, it will sit there in text format just waiting to be brought to life. Spanish Tomato Bread is such a recipe. The images you see here are from late last summer. I only say this because I strongly urge you to use very fresh, locally-grown summer tomatoes here if you can. The results will be so much better!

HOME-GROWN OR LOCALLY SOURCED TOMATOES

If you’re thinking about making Spanish Tomato Bread, you must have some summer fresh tomatoes on hand, right? The whole concept of a simple recipe like this is about combining fresh tomatoes with a few basic ingredients. I have used a mixture of roma and beefsteak tomatoes, however, any tomato will do, but I think the best tomatoes are the ones with more meatiness.

When a tomato is described as being meatier, it simply means that the ratio of tomato flesh to the seeds and pulp mixture is higher. A good example of this is the beefsteak tomato. They are quite large and the walls of the tomato are thick and sturdy. They’re most often found on sandwiches for this reason.

Personally, I prefer the roma tomato. In my opinion, this variety has the best flavour, and most certainly, the best colour. A perfectly ripe roma tomato has a deep red colour and just pops in contrast to other recipe ingredients. I use the roma tomato almost exclusively in my recipes. Tomatoes on the vine are perfect for this recipe too!

MY RULES FOR CANNED STORE-BOUGHT TOMATOES

Canned tomatoes can be found anywhere and they come in so many shapes, sizes, and textures. Here are my steadfast rules for buying canned tomatoes. I apologize if you’ve read this on my blog before, but it’s worth repeating. First, if you need tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, buy them in a glass jar. You can see what you’re buying. The colour should be bright and vivid; the sauce/tomatoes should look fresh and cohesive. If there are seeds or pieces of tomato skin, move on to another brand.

Second, if you need chopped or diced tomatoes, always buy whole tomatoes. When produce companies can the tomatoes, the best tomatoes are packed in cans marked “whole.” The blemished, not-so-perfect tomatoes, are crushed, chopped, or pureed and sold as such. I would rather buy canned whole tomatoes (they’re always the same price!) and spend the extra two minutes chopping them myself so that I know I’m getting really good and really ripe tomatoes.

If you have time, make your own canned diced tomatoes. That way, you can be assured that there are no “bad” tomatoes, there will be no skin, and they’re already chopped and ready to go. Plus, canning tomatoes in the summertime, means you lock in that fresh, locally grown, tomato taste.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Tomatoes – You can use any garden-fresh tomato in this recipe, like roma, beefsteak, or any other meaty tomato.
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper
• Baguette – Any good crusty bread will do, but a baguette has a lot of crust-to-bread ratio and works perfectly! If your bread is day-old or stale, even better!!!
• Olive Oil – Use good olive oil, one that you can dip your finger into and like the taste of all on its own.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves only!
• Fresh Basil – For garnish.

HOW TO MAKE SPANISH TOMATO BREAD

To peel the tomatoes, start by bringing a small pot of water to a full boil. Next, just slightly score the bottom of each tomato making an X with your knife. Don’t cut too deep – the point is to just slice the skin. Next, place a bowl of ice water in your sink. Once the water comes to a full boil, carefully drop the tomatoes into the hot water for 30 seconds.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes and place them directly into the ice water. Almost immediately, you will notice that the bottom of each tomato has opened up. After just a minute, you can peel the skin off, placing the peeled tomato into a clean bowl. Once done, chop the tomatoes, removing and discarding the core. Use a fork to smash the tomatoes and set them aside.

Next, cut a large baguette into three-inch lengths. Slice each length in half so that you have a top and a bottom slice. Place the bread in a single layer onto a large sheet pan. Put it under the broiler until lightly browned. Remove the bread from the oven and flip them over. Toast the second side as well. 

While the bread is still warm, rub the surface of each slice with a raw clove of garlic. As you rub, the garlic clove wears down, depositing bits into the nooks and crannies of the bread. You can use as much or as little garlic as you wish, however, three cloves is sufficient for one whole baguette.

Top the bread with the smashed tomatoes. Just a thin layer is all you need. Next, season with ground black pepper and flaked sea salt. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately.

IT IS NOT BRUSCHETTA!

Listen, I know enough Italians to know a good bruschetta. Spanish Tomato Bread is most definitely not bruschetta and bruschetta, although quite delicious, is not a replacement or substitution for Spanish Tomato Bread. They have similar ingredients and preparation techniques, but the flavours are quite different.

Whereas tomato bread uses rubbed garlic and mashed tomatoes, Italian-style bruschetta uses minced garlic and diced tomatoes. Bruschetta is commonly prepared with onions and herbs too, whereas tomato bread is not.

I say try them both and determine which one you like best! I have a Marinated Tomato Bruschetta recipe that I really love, but to be honest, I prefer Spanish Tomato Bread only because I’m not a huge fan of raw onion. Now, you decide and be sure to let me know! Enjoy!