Pa amb Tomaquet

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices pa de pages or rustic sourdough
• 2 very ripe soft tomatoes, ideally tomatoes de penjar
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse sea salt
• 4 slices jamon serrano or Manchego to serve, optional

Before you cook

• Cut the bread into slices about 2cm thick with plenty of open crumb showing.
• Halve the tomatoes across their equator.
• Peel the garlic clove and cut it in half lengthways.

Steps

1. Toast the bread slices under a hot grill or on a ridged pan until they are crisp on the outside but still soft within, about 2 minutes per side.
2. Rub the cut face of the garlic once or twice across each hot slice, going lightly because the garlic should whisper rather than shout.
3. Take a tomato half and press its cut side hard against the bread.
4. Drag the tomato back and forth until the flesh has grated itself into the crumb and only the skin is left in your hand.
5. Discard the tomato skin and repeat with the remaining slices.
6. Drizzle each slice generously with extra virgin olive oil so it soaks in.
7. Sprinkle over coarse sea salt and eat straight away, before the bread softens.
8. Drape a slice of jamon or a shard of Manchego over the top if you want to make it a fuller breakfast.