Catalonia’s Pre-Lunch Snack Hour
On the northeastern tip of Spain, all the best snacking happens before noon with a chilled bottle of vermouth. The Italians set aside a few hours before dinner for a bitter aperitivo and a few pieces of cheese or olives.
“But when you cut and rub tomacons on grilled bread, the juicy flesh smears all over the bread, leaving behind the tough tomato skin like a shell. It’s the perfect use for them.”
The small, hearty Catalan tomatoes that are generally used are called tomàquet, or tomacons . “The skins are tough, so they don’t make good salad tomatoes,” states Olivella. “But when you cut and rub tomacons on grilled bread, the juicy flesh smears all over the bread, leaving behind the tough tomato skin like a shell. It’s the perfect use for them.” If you’re making pa amb tomàquet in the United States, don’t worry about getting the type of tomato exactly right.
Pa Amb Tomàquet: Catalan Tomato Bread 4-6 servings Ingredients 1 round or long loaf crispy bread, such as ciabatta 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled. Halved 2-3 small vine tomatoes, halved crosswise Extra-virgin olive oil Flaky sea salt Pa amb tomàquet is the foundation of every sandwich in Catalonia. You in addition don’t want the loaf to be too tall (about 2 inches tall at most) as you will halve the entire loaf horizontally so the crust is on either side. If you’re making this recipe for a crowd, grate the pulp from halved tomatoes, then use a spoon to spread it onto the toasts.
Cut the bread halves crosswise into rectangles or squares, 4 to 5 inches in diameter, and toast them in a toaster or toaster oven until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. You can as well toast them under the broiler or on a grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Gently rub the cut sides of the garlic cloves all over the crispy sides of the toast. Then rub the cut sides of the tomatoes over the toast until the tomato pulp falls apart and seeps into the nooks and crannies.
Pickled Anchovies In a medium shallow dish (big enough to hold the fillets in a single layer), combine 1 cup water and the vinegar. Layer the filleted anchovies on the bottom of the dish, skin side down.
Drizzle a layer of oil over the bottom of a small glass dish just big enough to hold all of the anchovies comfortably. Removing the anchovies from the vinegar mixture one at a time, and allowing the excess liquid to drip off, make a layer of fish in the smaller dish.
Drizzle the fish with more oil, then scatter on a pinch each of parsley and garlic. Seitons will keep for up to 1 week; as you use them, be sure the remaining anchovies are covered in oil.
I like to serve it to guests in small cast-iron skillets with the shrimp and garlic still sizzling. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and sprinkle a generous pinch (about ¼ teaspoon) of adobo seasoning over the shrimp as they begin to sizzle. Sear the shrimp until they are pink on one side, about 2 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice to keep the garlic from burning.
Use tongs to turn the shrimp and cook until they are bright pink, about 1 minute more. Let stand for about 30 seconds and serve the shrimp sizzling in the skillet.
- Who: Catalonia