Black Garlic Morel Pan Con Tomate with Smoked Tomato Jam

Ingredients

• ▸4 thick slices sourdough bread, about 2cm thick
• ▸200g fresh morel mushrooms, halved lengthwise and gently cleaned
• ▸1 whole head black garlic, cloves peeled and mashed into a paste
• ▸4 ripe vine tomatoes, halved
• ▸2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• ▸1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• ▸1 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera)
• ▸0.5 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• ▸0.25 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▸1 small garlic clove, peeled and left whole, for bread rubbing
• ▸1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• ▸Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. 1

   1. Make the smoked tomato jam: Place the halved tomatoes cut-side down on the hottest part of your grill. Char them for 6–8 minutes until the skins blister and blacken and the flesh softens completely. Remove and let cool slightly, then peel off the charred skins. Squeeze the tomato flesh into a small bowl, discarding most of the seeds. Stir in the sherry vinegar, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt. Mash roughly with a fork — you want texture, not a purée. Set aside.

2. 2

   2. Make the black garlic paste: Using a fork or the back of a spoon, mash the peeled black garlic cloves into a smooth, dark paste directly in a small bowl. Drizzle in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and work it in until silky. The paste should smell molasses-sweet and faintly balsamic. Set aside.

3. 3

   3. Cook the morels: Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill-safe pan directly on the grill grate over medium-high heat. Add 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil and let it shimmer. Add the halved morels in a single layer — do not crowd them. Let them sear undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until golden on the cut side. Toss gently, add the thyme leaves, season with salt and pepper, and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and hold warm.

4. 4

   4. Grill the bread: Brush both sides of each sourdough slice lightly with olive oil. Grill directly on the grate over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes per side until deep char marks appear and the bread is crisp through. Remove from grill and immediately rub one side vigorously with the whole raw garlic clove — the toast acts like a grater and the garlic melts right in.

5. 5

   5. Assemble: Spread a generous layer of the smoked tomato jam across each slice of grilled bread, going all the way to the edges. Dot and smear a teaspoon of black garlic paste across the tomato layer in three or four spots — you want pockets of intensity, not full coverage.

6. 6

   6. Pile the warm sautéed morels on top of each toast, distributing them evenly. Finish with a drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of flaky sea salt, and any remaining thyme. Serve immediately while the bread is still warm and crackling.

Variations

• ◆Shave thin curls of aged Manchego over the assembled toasts right before serving. The nutty, slightly crystalline sheep's milk cheese bridges the morel and black garlic without drowning either one.
• ◆Separate a fresh egg and nestle the raw yolk into a small hollow of morels on each toast just before serving. It breaks at the table and coats everything in fatty richness, a move that's deeply Catalan in spirit.
• ◆When fresh morels are out of season, rehydrate 30g of dried morels in warm sherry for 20 minutes, then use the strained soaking liquid to deglaze the pan after sautéing. You'll get a more concentrated, winey mushroom flavor than fresh morels typically deliver.