Montadito is Spanish for bread or toast with toppings, basically tapas on toast. These are excellent as pre-dinner nibbles or as a delectable lunch. Using fresh produce from the garden and served on lightly toasted sourdough rye bread, these four are from or inspired by the cookbook MORO easy by Sam and Sam Clarke.
Pepper, chopped egg and anchovy: Grill some peppers. Ours were small red and yellow peppers. If you use large ones, you may want to remove the skin after grilling. When they’re soft, cut them into strips and mix them with 2 teaspoons of good quality red wine vinegar and a generous lug of good quality olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If your peppers are not sweet add a pinch of sugar as well. Hard-boil an egg and chop it finely. Lightly toast the bread and rub with a cut clove of garlic. Spread the peppers on the toast followed by the chopped egg and top with white anchovies.
Goat cheese, eggplant and basil: Grill some eggplant (aubergine) until soft. Ours were small long eggplants as well as bright orange Turkish eggplants. Toast some bread and rub it with a cut clove of garlic. Spread some goat cheese over the toast and top with a layer of grilled eggplant. Season to taste, drizzle with a little good quality olive oil and garnish with fresh basil.
Tomato, chorizo and chilli: For the tomato, grate some fresh tomatoes. Crush a little garlic with salt and mix this into the tomatoes along with some good quality olive oil. Slice a chorizo diagonally and briefly fry the slices in a little olive oil until slightly caramelised on both sides. Toast some bread and spread with the tomato. Top with chorizo slices and finely diced green chillies.
Zucchini, mint and cured pork: Slice some white zucchinis (courgettes) and season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat some olive oil in a frypan and fry the slices until tender. Add some toasted pine nuts and finely chopped fresh mint. Toast some bread and rub with a cut clove of garlic. Spread the zucchinis onto the toast and top with a good jamón or prosciutto.
michelle picker cooks 