6slicesOlive Oil Pan Brioche, about 2.5 cm (1 in) thick
300g10½ oz Roasted Tomato Paste (see below)
6large tomatoes, preferably Costoluto or Cuore di Bue
1garlic clove
fresh herbs of your choice, to garnish
extra virgin olive oil, salt flakes, freshly ground black pepper, to serve
For the roasted tomato paste (makes 500 g/1 lb 2 oz)
2kg(4 lb 8 oz) small mixed tomatoes
sugar or honey, to taste (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (320°F/gas 4) and line one or two baking trays with baking parchment.
Wash all the tomatoes for the tomato paste, then cut them in half, trying to keep a fairly consistent size. Put them into a large bowl and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. The seasoning should not be too generous, as the tomatoes will dehydrate in the oven and lose most of their volume, thus concentrating all the flavours.
Arrange on the prepared baking tray(s), ensuring they aren’t crowded too close together, and roast for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes, making sure each one is well caramelised and roasted.
Once ready, remove from the oven and let them cool for at least half an hour, then finely chop. Tip the resulting tomato paste into a large container and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
Increase the oven temperature to 220°C (430°F/gas 9).
Place the bread slices on a wire rack and toast them in the oven for about 6 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and fragrant.
Once ready, lightly rub one side of each slice of toasted bread with the garlic clove to gently infuse with its aroma. Spread a generous layer of tomato paste on each slice, about 50 g (2 oz) each.
Slice the tomatoes into thick slices and arrange them on the toasted bread, overlapping slightly.