Dear readers,
This will be the last recipe of 2022, and what better way to end the year than with a new appetizer recipe from our annual Holiday Party? Inspired by the Catalan Style “Crystal” Bread at lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba! in River North, I present a Pan Con Tomate. You can absolutely make this totally vegan/veggie friendly too by using vegan parm instead of manchego, and skipping the ham entirely (a nice addition, but not a necessity). It was a major hit and absolutely a new appetizer I plan to use again in the future!
P.S. Don’t forget that you can order cookies from me directly from my Cookie Order Page on this very same blog! (Yes, shameless plug, but I need to keep pushing it!)
Hoping you are safe and well!
— Cooking Maggie
On Pan Con Tomate
Ingredients
- 1 yellow heirloom tomato
- 1 red beef steak tomato (not pictured, but can include!)
- Slices of baguette or crusty white bread (or bagel chips, as pictured)
- 1 package of prosciutto (cut into pieces big enough for the bread)
- 1 wedge of Manchego, cut into triangles (again, big enough for the bread)
- Olive oil (for drizzling on the bread if you go that route)
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 garlic clove, cut in half (if you go the bread route)
Instruction*
- Using the larger grate holes, grate the tomatoes into their own bowls (each lined with paper towel) – let sit
- Paint some olive oil on each slice of bread, sprinkle a little fresh ground salt and pepper on top and toast in a cast iron skiller (or non-stick) until both sides are gold brown (while they’re cooking on the one side, paint and season the other side)
- Rub one side with the cut garlic clove, then cut the bread into thirds
- How to serve: spoon the tomatoes into their own serving dishes and season with a little salt, arrange the prosciutto, toast, and manchego on a large serving platter around them. To eat: Spoon some tomato on to the toast, add the prosciutto, then the manchego and eat. You can drizzle a little olive oil on top (or more salt/pepper) but I don’t think it’s needed.
*If you get premade bruschetta rounds from your grocery store bakery, or the bagel chips, just skip the bread method.
The Real Cooking Maggie 