Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021
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PAN CON TOMATE Y AJO ASADO (TOMATO TOAST WITH ROASTED GARLIC)
Serves: 4-6; serving size 2-3 slices of tomato toast per person
Ingredients:
3-4 fresh, ripe, but firm medium size tomatoes
1 head of garlic
1+ tablespoons good quality olive oil
1/2 baguette or ciabatta, or other good quality bread sliced to about ½ inch and toasted
flaky salt like Maldón for garnish (optional but recommended)
thinly sliced Serrano or Iberian ham (Optional, but highly recommended. You can substitute Prosciutto if you can’t find jamón serrano or ibérico.)
Preparation:
1. Remove the extra loose garlic paper skin from the garlic head. Cut the head in half and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the cut ends. Wrap the head in a foil pouch and bake in a 400 F oven for 30-40 minutes or more. (A convection toaster oven on “bake” works well and is a more efficient way to roast the garlic.)
2. While the garlic is roasting, cut the tomatoes in half, and using the coarse face of a box grater and a bowl, grate the tomatoes with the cut half face on the grater. You will end up with a slurry of tomato in the bowl separated from the skin of the tomato. Discard the skin.
3. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the tomato slurry and mix. You can add a pinch of table salt at this point if you want.
4. After 30-40 minutes check the garlic. It should be soft and buttery and easily squeezed out of the skins of individual garlic cloves. Mash about 6 cloves of roasted garlic to a paste and mix with the tomato slurry until well incorporated. (Alternatively, you can spread a small amount of the mashed garlic paste directly onto the toasted bread and top with the tomato sauce.) Save any unused roasted cloves of garlic in a closed container in the fridge for other uses.)
5. Brush one face of the sliced bread lightly with olive oil and toast until just beginning to turn golden brown.
6. Spoon a small amount of the tomato/garlic mixture onto each slice and sprinkle with a few flakes of salt.
7. Optional: top with a thin slice of Jamón Serrano or Ibérico, or Prosciutto.