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!
spanish tomato toast (pan con tomate)
Author: The Culinary Chase
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Spanish
- 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.
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Heather ChaseThe Culinary Chase was coined by my husband whilst in a coffee shop in Hong Kong back in 2006. We wanted something that would be a play on my last name and by the time we finished our coffee, the name was born. As long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed cooking. It wasn’t until we moved to Asia that I began to experiment using herbs and spices in my everyday cooking. Not only do they enhance the flavor of food but also heighten it nutritionally. Over the years, I began to change our diet to include more vegetables, pulses, whole grains and less red meat. Don’t get me wrong, we love our meat, just not in super-size portions (too hard for the body to digest). I always use the palm of my hand as a guide to portion control when eating red meat. If the meat is larger than my hand, I save that portion for another day. Also, if the veggies on your plate look colorful (think the colors of the rainbow) – red, green, yellow, orange etc. then you’re most likely getting the right amount of nutrients per meal. I post recipes that I think help maintain a healthy body. I use the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time I make a conscious effort to eat healthy and 20% for when I want french fries with gravy (poutine). Balance is the key and to enjoy life with whatever comes my way. Thanks for visiting!