Pan con Tomate

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One of the great (and oh so trendy these days) tapas that I cannot resist (and happily, don't have to) hardly even qualifies as a dish, but in Spain, it is as ubiquitous as a well preserved church. It's the best kind of food to prepare, since you use your hands, tearing into the bread and tomatoes, shredding the basil (if you even use it) and pouring on the olive oil with abandon. Liberally season with salt, and ole! It is a dish beyond compare. The trick, as with anything that uses limited ingredients, is to find the highest quality products you can get your hands on. This time of year, it is all about the ugliest tomatoes, just on the verge of turning, that will make this something your guests will swoon over. Try it, and enjoy.

1 medium baguette
6 ripe tomatoes
1 clove garlic
olive oil
coarse salt
basil for garnish

Tear the bread up into manageable sized chunks. If you want to be more formal, go ahead and slice it. Let it sit out for a half hour or so if it is super soft (you want it to be a tiny bit stale). Rub each piece with the clove of garlic, just enough to leave a whisper of flavor behind. Tear the tomatoes, and rub them against the bread as if it were a cheese grater. You want to leave behind the juice and a trace of pulp, the essence of the fruit. Liberally sprinkle with olive oil and garlic, garnish with torn basil and serve. (The basil makes it a little bit Italian, but that's ok, right?)

Makes enough for six people

Small plate suggestions: Serve with dry roasted almonds, anchovies, thin slices of salty ham and some manchego cheese with quince paste

Tagged with: food + Vegan
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The West Hollywood City Council voted to accept the recommendation of the WeHo Historic Preservation Commission and designate Irv's Burgers a local cultural resource, saving it from the wrecking ball. Irv's is located on Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienega and Crescent Heights, and they really do make a tasty burger.

Waddaya know? This recipe is vegan too!

With a production share in excess of 35%, Spain is the worlds number one producer of olive oil. Olive groves are cover more than 2.3 million hectares (5.3 million acres) of the country and some include trees that are more than 1000 years old.The earliest recordings of olive production date as early as 210 BC. Today, over 300 million olive trees produce several varieties of olives including arbequina, picual, cornicabra, hojiblanca, and lechin. - Colors of Spain.com