Cheesy tomato toast

The Story

If I had to choose one dish synonymous with Barcelona, it would be “pa amb tomàquet”. This tomato toast or “bread with tomato” dish is effortlessly simple, taking a piece of toasted bread, rubbing it with a clove of garlic, and finishing it with a shmear of raw tomato and a glug of olive oil. The perfect companion to a salty anchovy, a luxurious slice of jamón, or a scoop of “ensaladilla rusa” (russian potato salad), no table full of assorted tapas would be complete without it.

So, one morning when I was looking for something quick to put together for breakfast, I stood in front of the open refrigerator hemming and hawing over the options. My eyes zeroed in on the cherry tomatoes I had just bought the day before at the store, and I immediately thought of the catalan tomato toast. Although my mind often goes to the good ol’ avocado toast when I’m craving something I can devour up on a piece of toasted bread at breakfast time, sometimes it’s nice to switch it up. And this is a great alternative.

Somewhere between an open-faced grilled cheese and tomato toast, my version has a piece of perfectly melted cheese draped over a piece of toasted sandwich bread (although this would be equally yummy with any bread you like of the crusty or sandwich variety) and is topped with a Spanish-style fried egg and a tumble of seasoned tomatoes and fresh herbs. Perfect for breakfast or lunch, this dish comes together in less than a half an hour and will leave you feeling super satisfied.

Or shrink down the pieces of bread and cheese and swap out chicken eggs for quails eggs and you’d have a great hors d’ouevre (just like my smoky vegetables escalivada toast).

Difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1-5

Total time to prepare: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

The Ingredients

For the tomato mixture:

2 cups/300 g cherry tomatoes

1 Tbsp./13 g olive oil

1 Tbsp./13 g sesame oil

1 Tbsp./13 g black vinegar (this is flexible…sherry, apple, and rice vinegar would also work here)

2 tsp/14 g honey

Salt and pepper to taste

For the fried egg:

1/4 cup/54 g olive oil

4 eggs

For the assembly:

4 slices sandwich bread (I like using something with whole grain to up the healthy factor

1 Tbsp./13 g olive oil

Garlic powder

4 slices of good melting cheese (I like low moisture mozzarella, gouda, havarti, etc.)

Optional:

Tender fresh herbs (dill, cilantro, parsley, mint, basil, etc,)

Chili flakes

The Recipe

For the tomato mixture:

1. Slice the cherry tomates in rounds. Combine with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the dish

For the fried egg:

1. Heat a small sauté pan over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the olive oil and continue to heat until the oil begins to smoke.

2. Crack 1 into a bowl and add to the oil.

   *NOTE: Be careful, this will most likely splatter!

3. Season the egg with salt and pepper.

4. Cook until the edges are golden brown and the egg white is set. Set aside.

   *NOTE: If the edges start browning too quickly before the rest of the egg white finishes setting, tilt the pan away from you, and with a small spoon, scoop up a spoonful of oil and drop it onto the uncooked portion of the egg white.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for all of the eggs.

   *NOTE: There should be enough oil to coat the bottom of your pan when you slightly agitate it. Don’t be afraid to add more oil if you are running out. Just ensure to heat it until smoking again before adding any more eggs.

For the assembly:

1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. When hot, add the bread slices and swirl in the olive oil on both sides.

2. Let the bread toast on one side into golden brown.

3. Turn the bread over, and season the toasted side with salt and a sprinkle of garlic powder. Place the piece of cheese on top.

4. Continue to cook until the underside is toasted and the cheese has melted. If you have a blow torch, you can speed up the melting process lightly passing the torch over any parts of the cheese resistant to melting.

5. Top each slice of cheesy toast with a fried egg.

6. Spoon some of the tomato mixture (with juices) on top.

7. Adorn with fresh herbs and chili flakes.

LEFTOVERS: If you have any of the tomato mixture leftover, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.