Last week we were in Madrid and are totally smitten. Mr. S and I have never been before. He’s half Spanish so whenever we are in a Spanish country, he feels a connection even though he grew up in England. We’ve been to Barcelona before but Spain’s capital tugged at our hearts! It’s a beautiful, walkable city. Like all trips when we’re abroad, I am armed with a list of things to do and see, walking the place flat, and finding hidden gems along the way. To start our day off properly, we both need fueling and breakfast (desayuno) isn’t something either of us care to skip. In Spain, breakfast is typically a light fare with café con leche (coffee with milk) and pan con tomate (tomato toast). In doing my research, I read this was a must try. And it was! Tomato toast is such a simple dish to make – fresh tomatoes, really good olive oil, and sea salt. I am salivating as I reminisce my first bite!
Instead of eating at the hotel, we chose to find a place nearby where locals would frequent. Toma Cafe was an eight-minute walk from the hotel located in the Malasaña neighborhood. We arrived just before they opened with locals waiting to go in. We had tried another place but this became our go-to spot for desayuno.
Toma Cafe in the trendy barrio of Malasaña, Madrid
serves 2 to 4 (depends on how thick you spread the tomato sauce)
2 ripe tomatoes, about the size of a tennis ball
fresh rustic-style bread, cut into chunky slices
olive oil
sea salt
Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Place a box grater in a bowl. Use the large holes and grate the tomato. Discard the skin. If the grated tomato seems watery, discard by using a spoon. Toast the bread. While bread is still hot, drizzle olive oil over and spoon tomato sauce. Season with sea salt. Serve immediately.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Pan con tomate was served on waxed brown paper with a spoonful of sea salt on the side. Some places use a clove of garlic rubbed on the toasted bread before adding olive oil. Either way, it is pure bliss. Enjoy!
- 2 ripe tomatoes, about the size of a tennis ball
- fresh rustic-style bread, cut into chunky slices
- olive oil
- sea salt
- Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Place a box grater in a bowl. Use the large holes and grate the tomato. Discard the skin. If the grated tomato seems watery, discard by using a spoon. Toast the bread. While bread is still hot, drizzle olive oil over and spoon tomato sauce. Season with sea salt. Serve immediately.
