Wasn’t the weekend glorious? Sun in the sky, light breeze to keep things cool – it was perfect for a picnic. The first of the year! We’re getting pretty good at packing picnics now; I remember a poor one we had years ago when we first started going out and we didn’t have napkins or plastic cups or anything to even sit on. We have two mats/blankets, even a few throw pillows, all manner of plastic cutlery and cups, napkins, …. and camera, of course!
To keep things simple this time, I packed some cookies I’d baked the night before (recipe in the next blog post!), some strawberries, a few individual yogurts, and some sandwiches. We based these sandwiches on some we bought in Barcelona this past trip – we were going for a day hike and that morning, we stopped into the local bakery and picked up a few plain-looking sandwiches: they were small baguettes, one with ham, one with chorizo, and one with some other preserved sausage. They didn’t look particularly exciting but when we unwrapped them, we found that the bread was rubbed with tomato and olive oil which lubricated everything nicely and made that sandwich utterly fantastic. (Well, I was surprised while Blai and his brother were not. Apparently, it’s the usual thing over in Catalunya to make sandwiches from pa amb tomàquet, that very Catalan combination of bread with tomato).
This is again one of those no-recipe, more-of-a-description posts. To make these sandwiches, use a small baguette per person; we used those half baked ones that you get at the supermarket and baked them that morning and allowed them to cool before preparing the sandwiches. Slice them in half horizontally lengthwise. Take a couple of very juicy tomatoes, slice them in half along their equators and then rub the cut sides into the cut sides of the bread. Really squeeze those tomatoes and get all the juice and seeds and flesh that squishes out onto the bread. The bread shouldn’t be soaking wet but there should be enough that the cut side is stained red. Sprinkle with salt if desired (I usually leave this step out) and then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (never skip this step!). If necessary, press the two halves together to prevent the oil from leaking everywhere! You now have pa amb tomàquet! It’s lovely eaten by itself or topped with some ham (open-faced) or with some cured sausage on the side but we’re here to make sandwiches!
Now choose your filling – we had some thinly sliced honey roast ham and sliced cheese. Don’t be too generous with these fillings! You want a nice balance between them and your pa amb tomàquet. A few slices will do. Wrap up your sandwich (we just used plastic wrap) and it will be good for when you’re ready to eat it! I’m not usually a fan of sandwiches but I am a sucker for these!
Thu, 23 Apr, 2009 at 07:51
Lovely! Picnic food is one of my favourites.
We eat these sandwiches a lot after first sampling them in Barcelona, like you. We’ve always known them as bocadillos but I suspect there are regional name variations.
Thu, 23 Apr, 2009 at 15:29
That sounds delicious and quite simple, thank you for the recipe!
Thu, 23 Apr, 2009 at 19:33
First picnics of the year are always such a joy. But I think you’re right: you really need to pack not only food, but also mats, napkins, cutlery, and of course blankets and pillows for napping after eating! My wife and I went hiking this weekend, and we were both bummed that we hadn’t thought to make a picnic from our outing. Nice little meal you prepared there, too! Just look at those fat strawberries…
Thu, 23 Apr, 2009 at 20:21
I’m more of a bbq kind of girl, but this looks perfect – no fuss, no mess.
Fri, 24 Apr, 2009 at 21:29
[…] baking, biscuits, cookies, Food, recipe | No Comments And here are the cookies from the previous picnic post. I don’t normally bake many cookies – I’m always afraid I’ll scoff the whole lot […]
Fri, 24 Apr, 2009 at 21:53
Ginger: Not so much regional as just language differences, I think. Bocadillo is Spanish for sandwich. The equivalent in Catalan is entrepà. Pa amb tomàquet translates to bread with tomato in Catalan. I think you’d like a ‘bikini’ – the Catalan for a toasted ham and cheese sandwich sliced on the diagonal!
Donna: No problem – hope you like it!
sapuche: The napping part is essential! Yes, it can feel like getting ready for a picnic is such a task but it’s always worth it, isn’t it?
Lizzie: I loved the look of your bbq! I might do that next time but with one of those disposable ones to take to the park (I have no balcony, no roof terrace, no garden – boo!).
Tue, 28 Apr, 2009 at 10:20
I’m so hoping it’ll be sunny for this bank hoilday weekend and i’m planning to hit the beach, I’ll definitely give this a try, looks delicious.
Tue, 28 Apr, 2009 at 15:51
how fun, I haven’t done a picnic in a while.. I love the simplicity of the sandwich! I’ve had something like that at a bocadillo restaurant here in SF and loved it, but didn’t notice olive oil, which sounds even better.
Wed, 29 Apr, 2009 at 17:58
Boo in London: Well, the forecast so far is good…but I guess that could change at the last minute! Here’s hoping for picnic weather!
foodhoe: Oh yes, the olive oil is very very important. If you have no tomato, I’d just use olive oil in your sandwich!