Pan con Tomate with Soft Eggs
Bread fried in olive oil until it crackles, cold grated tomato spooned over, and an egg from the same pan with the yolk still loose.
Why it works
Grating a halved tomato on the coarse holes of a box grater leaves the skin flat in your hand and gives you seasoned pulp with no chopping and nothing to drain. Frying the bread in oil rather than toasting it dry builds a crust that holds up under the wet tomato for as long as it takes to eat.
Method
- Grate the cut faces of the tomatoes into a bowl on the coarse holes of a box grater until only the flat skins are left in your hand. Stir in the salt and set aside.
- Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat and fry the bread for 2 minutes a side, pressing it into the oil, until it is deep gold and sounds hard when tapped. Rub each hot slice with the cut garlic and put it on the board.
- Add the last tablespoon of oil, drop the heat to medium and crack in the eggs. Fry for 3 minutes, tilting the pan and spooning hot oil over the tops, until the whites are set and lacy at the edges and the yolks still wobble.
- Spoon the tomato thickly over each slice and let it soak in for a moment. Slide two eggs onto each, then finish with black pepper and any oil left in the pan.
For the toddler
Spoon a little of the grated tomato into a cup at step 1, before the salt goes in. Fry their slice a shade paler so it stays chewable, skip the garlic rub, and cut the crusts off before slicing it into soft fingers. Chop their egg up over the top. Beyond that this suits them as it is, and a quarter slice with an egg is plenty.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Out of season, use 250 g (9 oz) tinned whole tomatoes crushed by hand and drained for a minute.
Grate the tomatoes while the pan heats and the whole thing lands in eight minutes.
Add a few slices of manchego under the tomato, or serve with a plate of sliced cucumber and olives.
The tomato keeps overnight and is better for it; the bread must be fried to order.