Pan con tomate:Benefits of eating tomatoes

This is a great package.

Breakfast, brunch, light lunch or canapés and is a wonderful taste of Spain. So simple and easy to prepare and once you’re in the habit of consuming this regularly then you are half way to your Mediterranean nirvana.

There’s many ways to make and serve this recipe that is eaten every morning in cafés and bars by hungry Spaniards across the country (and the islands, no doubt) but here is my versión simple.

Grate two ripe tomatoes discarding the skin but collecting the flesh, pips and juice then drain off most of the juice in a sieve.    

Meanwhile, lightly toast some rustic bread and when done rub a cut clove of garlic over the toasted dough. Today, as I don’t intend to kiss anybody, I crushed and finely chopped my garlic and added it to the tomato pulp.

Spread the pulp over the bread adding a drizzle of extra virgin olive, a light sprinkling of salt and a grinding of black pepper.

You could, of course, add herbs, cheese, ham, chilli, sausage, quail egg, etc.

Tomatoes contain high levels of lycopene an antioxidant which helps prevent heart disease and is protective against a growing list of cancers (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). And for men tomatoes are extremely important in promoting prostate health according to studies in the USA. Lycopene is contained in the flesh of tomatoes and more is released during cooking or processing – we’ll call grating... processing. 

Looks good enough to eat