I’m going to say something that should never be said out loud – sometimes, I just don’t like or want pizza. There I said it! Phew! I feel better now. I live in the Northeast in the US and not liking pizza is almost sacrilegious to say. There is an amazing pizza shop on just about every corner but I just can’t eat it every week like my girls can.
Granted, we go out for pizza every Friday because I also want a break from cooking at the end of the week, so it’s a bit of a double edged sword.
So, tonight, I’m doing something different. I’m making Pan con Tomate – it’s like bruschetta but with a thicker bread or crispy pizza without the cheese.
It’s part of a Mediterranean diet, which I have always gravitated towards. And it’s almost like pizza, but it’s kinda not which I love. I’m going to eat this for dinner tonight while the fam eats pizza and I’ll have my with a big arugula salad. It’s perfect.
Happy weekend!
Pan con Tomate
Ingredients
- 1 ciabatta loaf
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 garlic cloves, halved crosswise
- 2 lb. heirloom tomatoes, cored
- Flaky sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300. Prepare a baking sheet with silpat or a baking tray inside of the baking sheet and set aside.
- Slice ciabatta in half lengthwise through the middle (you’ll have two halves now). Then slice each half into large squares and cut each square into triangles. Drizzle oil over bread and bake for 30–40 minutes. Rub warm toast with cut sides of garlic; set aside.
- Meanwhile, grate tomatoes on the largest holes of a grater into a medium bowl until all that’s left are the flattened tomato skins. Finely chop skins and mix into grated flesh; season very generously with salt.
- Spoon a generous amount of tomato sauce over each toast. Let sit at least a minute or two so bread can absorb some of the juices. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with more salt, and top as desired. Enjoy!
Season Generously 