Breakfast #41: Montadito de Pan con Tomate, Chorizo, y Huevo

I think I may have mentioned this before, but just to underline the absolute truth of it, I love bringing home food stuff from my travels. It is, in book at least, the best souvenir**. Each little morsel that I take with me represents a mouthful of where I have been, encapsulating a perfect, “bite-sized”, snapshot of a place that I can re-experience back home.

Spain is a haven for food shopping, what with their wizardry in curing and preserving meats. Anyone who has tasted a gossamer-thin, glistening slice of jamon iberico de bellota can attest to that. In Barcelona in particular you also have the famous La Borqueria, the city’s famous market that can trace its history back to almost 800 years. In and around you have places that have been there for centuries, offering up specialties perfected a hundred times over, sitting shoulder to shoulder with establishments captained by brazen new chefs pushing their envelopes in the most delicious ways.

I know food is not the most permanent of souvenirs (I have another favorite as well not to worry**) but really, when you are back home with the phone ringing and the emails pouring in and the weather going to pot, and you are dreaming of one more day in Barcelona, wouldn’t you rather be biting into this than scrambling to find space for yet another mug?

Montadito de Pan con Tomate, Chorizo, y Huevo

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 slices of baguette or pain de campagne
• 1 tomato, bordering on overripe, cut in half
• 1 clove garlic, cut in half
• Extra virgin olive oil, the best you have
• Sea salt (the flakey type)
• 4-5 slices Spanish chorizo (one that is meant to be eaten cured, not cooking chorizo)
• A small handful of micro arugula

- Toast or grill the bread. Rub the toasted bread with the garlic, cut side down. Rub the bread with tomato halves, crushing slightly so the bread is smeared with the tomato juices and pulp.
- Meanwhile, heat a couple of swirls of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. When hot, add the eggs and, as the bottom sets, push the set parts around gently with a wooden spatula. Continue pushing gently until you have softly set curds of egg (you can cook it more if you like your scramble firmer). Remove the egg from the pan immediately so it does not continue to cook.
- Drizzle the garlic/tomato-rubbed toasts with the best olive oil you’ve got. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Congratulations, you’ve made pan con tomate!
- Divide your chorizo between the pan con tomate. Top with egg and micro arugula.

This is really a tapas type dish, but if we can eat dessert for breakfast I don’t see why we can’t have a bit of Spanish bar chow for breakfast either. It’s got cured and seasoned pork (and not just from any pig but from some of the best in the world!), egg, bread, and even greens. A breakfast for champions certainly. And if you decide to make many mini versions for an appetizer spread, well that’s allowed too and I can guarantee it will go over famously with your guests.

This was my first encounter with micro arugula and it will surely not be my last. I chanced upon them in my weekend market from a newish purveyor who sells a variety of micro greens (along with grass-fed beef and pork!) and had to try them, seeing how much I love their “macro” versions and sprouts in general. They have a milder version of regular arugula’s peppery kick. They are wonderful in this montadito, and are just as perfect in a homemade chicken salad sandwich.

I used chorizo iberico de bellota here but feel free to experiment with other Spanish cured meats such as salchichon iberico or fuet. If you are feeling particularly luxurious you can try this with jamon iberico de bellota instead. You can also replace the micro arugula with other micro greens or sprouts. I procured this chorizo from my godmother’s friendly neighborhood xarcuteria (charcuterie). It’s a fantastic, treasure trove, kind of place with jamon ibericos hanging from the ceiling, a platter of handpicked cheeses set out on a table for the customers to try, and one of the owners behind the counter to help you along in your selection.

My kind of souvenir shopping ;)

**My other best kind of souvenir is jewelry. Preferably a small pendant I can place on my necklace :)

Tomato Sauce

Who doesn't love long weekends? Especially at the end of one of those weeks where you seem to be shot at from all sides as you pull your helmet of fortitude firmly down your head, dodging bullets and avoiding potholes, hoping that you reach your bunker in one piece. Yes, especially then. But even when everything is fine and dandy, a long weekend is still something welcomed with your biggest grin and hugged tightly to your chest as you enjoy every single moment.

Many times we like to plan a trip out of town when such a blessing comes our way. Nothing fancy necessarily. Perhaps a nearby beach or a place higher up with a great view and a slightly cooler climate. This time though, maybe because I just came back from a trip out of the country, maybe because the weather was rainy and gloomy and just so conducive to staying put, we decided to forgo any trips and just…burrow.

Of course, we didn’t just burrow for three days (although I’m sure I could be found capable of doing just that). With a nice long patch of time before me, a taxing week behind me, and rain pitter-pattering on the windows, I did what seemed but natural to me. Therapy. Tomato sauce therapy to be exact.

Tomato Sauce

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 big white onion or 2 small ones, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 800-gram can chopped tomatoes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Optional: fresh basil and oregano

- Heat a couple of generous glugs of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or pan.
- When the oil is hot add the onions, garlic, and bay leaf and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the tomatoes and stir. Let this simmer, uncovered, until some of the water has evaporated and it is thick and pulpy, about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. It may take longer…be patient and you will be rewarded.
- At this point taste and season with salt and pepper, and sugar if using. Add a couple of swirls of extra virgin olive oil and stir. Let this simmer for a further 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- If you are using fresh herbs add them now, toss in the sauce, then take off the heat.
- You can use this immediately, store it in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for 3-6 months.

You can use this sauce as is; tossed with some pasta and a dusting of freshly grated parmesan, and you will have a completely satisfying bowl of pasta in red sauce. It can also be used as a base for many other pasta sauces. Add sautéed shrimp, bacon and chilies, minced beef, anchovies & olives, clams, eggplant & white cheese…the possibilities are limitless. And by no means is this just for pasta. You can use this as a pizza sauce, a base for cooking fish or chicken, for baked veggies topped with a crumb and cheese crust, even as a bed for an egg cooked “en cocotte”. You can experiment with different spices as well…I love this with a good amount of (my favorite) pimenton de La Vera (which I’ve just restocked…yay!), which makes the sauce nice and smoky. The long and short of it is that this is a great to have stashed in your fridge.

I used herbs here as I had some fresh oregano from my organic farmer and I happened upon some sprightly basil in the market. You can leave them out for a plainer sauce and that’s why I’ve listed them as optional. Some people like to add a bit of sugar to a tomato sauce and I add about half a teaspoon here (it doesn’t so much make it sweet as rounds out the acid of the tomato), but you certainly don’t need to if this is against your tomato sauce principles. You also don’t need to use as much garlic as I’ve specified – I like my sauce quite garlicky but you can use less if that would be more to your taste. I don’t use fresh tomatoes because the tomatoes available locally aren’t always the best for a nice rich sauce. If you haven’t got the perfect tomatoes you are better off using quality canned ones rather than the wrong fresh ones. So buy the best you can manage – I’ll usually gravitate towards an Italian or a Spanish brand.

A gently gurgling pan of red pulpy tomato goodness on the hob, stirring and nudging occasionally with a wooden spoon, and finally scooping it all contentedly into a jar – it’s not much, perhaps not a day in the spa, or a trip to get away from it all, but ah, what it does for the soul!

Back From Barcelona

This is just to say that I haven’t gotten lost in the wonders of Barcelona (though that is extremely possible and thoroughly tempting) and I have, indeed, made my way back to my little tropical isle and into the arms of my small but much-loved-and-missed family unit. The heat and my family weren’t the only ones waiting to welcome me though. As anyone who takes a holiday from work knows, you return to a Goliath of tasks and an email inbox bursting at the seams (thank goodness I upgraded to terabytes!). So a proper post will have to wait a bit…I do hope you will all be patient!

Meanwhile, as I have done in the past, I hope to bribe your patience with holiday photos. This was a short trip but any amount of time in Barcelona, no matter the length, is magical.

Half of the trip was for work…and really, that’s all you have to know about my very normal day job.

After official business was dispensed, I visited with a beloved godmother and we chatted and caught up and laughed and ate.


She took me to one of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona that is still owned by the same family – tucked away off La Rambla; a place beyond cozy where we enjoyed a plate of glistening jamon iberico and pan con tomate and such a platter of grilled seafood so good it made my heart (and tummy) swell.

She also introduced me to her neighborhood xarcuteria (charcuterie) where I stocked up on all manners of jamon and chorizo. It’s the kind of place where one of the owners tends the counter and they always remember your name and offer you bits of free things for tasting or for taking home. Although this is not unusual in a city full of such gems.


I finally bought my Nespresso machine, and an aeroccino, and as much coffee pods as my already straining suitcase could carry. Suffice to say that C and I have been enjoying it much too much as we begin the wonderful journey of figuring out which of the “grand crus” are our favorites.

I pay a visit to my favorite church of all time, the Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi’s staggering masterpiece. I have gone every single time I’ve been in Barcelona. What I love most about it, aside from its general awesomeness, is the very fact that it is unfinished. As such, it is different every time I visit. This quality which I know frustrates some people is what I find most exciting. The first time I had been it had practically no roof, aside from the towers you walked through the grand façade to scaffolding and sunlight. Now it has a ceiling fashioned to look like a canopy of trees with well placed holes to let in the sunlight still. A magnificent work in progress, started by a master and carried on through the ages…much like man ourselves?

Of course I make time for the market, La Boqueria, another favorite. Although I cannot take any of the gorgeous fresh fruit and vegetables, I buy my share of dried peppers (pimientos choriceros in particular) and ground spice mixes to compensate. At this point my suitcase is about to have triplets. But I do manage to sneak in some ventresca de bonito del norte in extra virgin olive oil. And beluga lentils!

And I have fresh figs for breakfast and dessert. Yes oh yes.

The trip was short, but it was a full as my straining suitcase…which barely made it through check in.


And now I must return to that mountain of work that demands my attention. I hope this tides you over until I can get back to proper cooking and blogging. Meanwhile, if you have any specific questions about the places I visited or the goodies I bought feel free to email me!