Catalan Tomato Toasts

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit Barcelona to see my cousins, and then to tour Portugal with a group of food-oriented travelers! I brought back a few recipes for my kids' class. This simple Catalan Tomato Toast recipe comes from a cooking class I took in Spain, and a similar recipe also appears in the book Catalan Food by Daniel Olivella. Try this, it may become a new favorite, and be added to your rotation! The kids loved to rub and squash the tomato pulp onto the rough bread.

35 min

approx. 4

Dinner, Lunch, Snacks

Ingredients

loaf of rough, crispy bread such as ciabatta
2 or 3 ripe small vine tomatoes, sliced in half crosswise
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
Extra-virgin olive oil
flaky sea salt
balsamic vinaigrette or balsamic glaze
Chopped parsley or basil if desired

Instructions

Slice the bread in half horizontally, and then in wide strips a couple of inches across. Toast in a toaster oven or regular oven at 325 degrees for 5-7 minutes (keep an eye on it – you want it brown and crisp but not burnt.)
Rub the cut garlic cloves gently over the toast. Then rub the cut sides of the tomatoes vigorously all over the slices, until the pulp falls apart and the bread is moistened all over.
Drizzle olive oil over the toast, and sprinkle with flaky salt. If desired, drizzle a tiny amount of balsamic dressing on top. (The kids loved this addition.)
Garnish with the chopped herbs to add color and flavor.

More Information

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