Roasted red peppers are good on toast
Not quite pan con tomate.
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How do you improve on pan con tomate? You…don’t. Part of what makes the dish—which isn’t much more than well-seasoned grated tomatoes and oil on bread—so special is that no one has much business making it with subpar tomatoes. And depending on where you live, those are only around for a couple months a year. Could it be the ephemeral nature of a perfect summer tomato that makes pan con tomate that good? Probably!
I don’t know about where you live, but the good tomatoes in my area are almost always at least $6/pound, and sometimes they’re honestly not even that good. Or they’re so ripe you have to use them within a day of their purchase or risk bursting or molding—and not all of us can go shopping quite that often (unless it’s for work, I certainly can’t). So in the interest of not spending all my money at the farmers market (the only place I can seem to find really nice tomatoes, with two Whole Foods-induced exceptions this summer), we land in the neighborhood of sweet peppers. Roasted until soft and sweet, finely chopped and stirred with a splash of vinegar and oil, they make a very, very good slop to spoon over toast.
The red bell (and other sweet) peppers are about $4/pound at super and farmers markets in my neck of the woods, and rarely disappointing wherever purchased.
This recipe is not entirely without tomatoes—though you but you don’t have to spend hours fondling every specimen in the heirloom bin to have success—obviously the ripe, in-season tomatoes will be be lovely, but even a less perfect beefsteak, Campari or, cherry tomato will do. That said, I have made this with all bell pepper and it’s still great. Add a pinch of granulated sugar and a squeeze of lemon to the mix to mimic the floral sweetness and acidity from tomato.
As written, this recipe is more of a “side” or “snack,” but if you’re tired and just want to make dinner, aka something with a little more heft: Stir a can of white beans or chickpeas right into the pepper mixture, and spoon that over the toast. (There is no limit to the ways I will enjoy beans and bread.)
And before you ask: Yes, premade roasted red peppers work here too. They tend to be a smidge more expensive because someone else did the work, but if time is money, go for it! (I find they’re often most affordable from the prepared foods counter at Italian delis.)
Tangy Roasted Red Peppers & Tomato on Toast
*If you’re short on time, swap the fresh peppers for 1 cup/8 ounces premade roasted red peppers. Skip the first two steps.
This makes about 2 cups of tomato-pepper mixture, which is enough to douse a “standard” baguette; but obviously any crusty bread will do. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days: toss it with pasta or use it as a chunky salad dressing.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
3 large (about 1 pound) red bell or any sweet peppers, quartered, stems and seeds removed*
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
8 ounces tomatoes, such as heirloom, beefsteak, Campari, or cherry
Crusty bread
1-2 cloves garlic
Good extra-virgin olive oil, if you have it
Oil-packed anchovies or sardines, optional, for serving
Method
Heat the oven to 425ºF with a rack in the center. Place the peppers on a sheet pan and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a couple big pinches of salt. Turn the peppers skin-side up and roast until the flesh is very tender and the skins are starting to char and wrinkle, 20 to 25 minutes.
Let the roasted peppers cool to the touch, then pull off and discard the skins (you can transfer the peppers to a bowl when they’re right out of the oven and cover to help them steam and make removing the skins easier, but I’m too lazy to wash another bowl). You can do this up to 3 days in advance—store the peppers in an airtight container in the fridge.
While the peppers roast (or whenever you’re ready to assemble) use a box grater to grate the tomato into a medium bowl, discarding the skin and stem. If you’re using tomatoes that are smaller than 2 inches, just finely chop them and don’t worry about the skins. Stir in a big pinch of salt.
Finely chop the peppers, then transfer to the bowl with the tomato. Stir in the vinegar, then season with more salt, olive oil, and vinegar to taste.
When you’re ready to eat, toast the bread (I like use a baguette, halved lengthwise, cut into 3-inch batons; or a country-style boule sliced 1/2-inch thick, popped in the 425ºF oven until golden.) While the bread is still warm, rub it with the garlic clove.
Top the bread with a dollop of the pepper mixture. Add an anchovy or sardine if you’d like. If you have any fancy olive oil, it’s not getting any younger, so add a drizzle of that overtop.
