Bread, tomato, extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt. Then there are those who put oregano, some basil, some garlic, but very little is enough to get the perfect balance of a combination that knows no boundaries, at least in the boot, and that is the basis of the Mediterranean diet that all over the world envy us. It is the basis of many dishes, many of which arise from the recovery of stale bread: from the classic bread and tomato of the snack to bruschetta that in southern Italy is proposed as an inevitable appetizer, from the pappa al pomodoro to the "scarpetta" made in the sauce that makes so much air at home. We talked about it with Francesco Arnesano of Lievito Pizza Pane, a very young pizza maker and patron (along with the wonderful mum and dad) of this pizzeria with a bakery in the heart of the Eur, a step away from the Palazzo dei Congressi. Arnesano has just been awarded as well Emerging Pizzaiolo from the cut pizza category by the Pizzerie d'Italia guide of the Gambero Rosso 2020. On October 3rd and 4th at the Lievito Pizza Pane will pass the Pane e Pomodoro Tour of Così Com'è, the production and processing brand of tomatoes coming strictly from the Piana del Sele (province of Salerno ) that the star chefs love so much.

The right bread for every recipe

With the bruschetta? Homemade: pronounced crust, succulent crumb, crunchy texture. And the mouth watering is already. But if, for example, we talk about a tomato soup, we should rather use a Tuscan-type bread, poor in salt, which is then toasted and left to soak with the water from the tomatoes. Arnesano also does a tomato bread which will present on the occasion of the tour: type 2 soft buratto flour, tomato water (obtained by centrifuging the tomato, possibly San Marzano with chinoise) instead of the water that would be put in the dough, a mother yeast chariot, a handful of oregano and a 12-hour leavening. The result is a very tasty bread, which must therefore be paired with a more delicate tomato, like the red datterino from Così Com'è. But also a base of focaccia, red or white, adding the tomato is conceptually the same as a bread and tomato which, if desired, can in turn be the basis for other preparations. Arnesano on the occasion of the Pane e Pomodoro tour will propose its own version, with four tomato consistencies: base red focaccia with passata, cubes of beef heart, yellow datterini, red dried seed tomatoes, all with seasoned and grated robiola of lemon d 'Amalfi.

And also the tomato …

The tomato varieties are endless and not all the same. Furthermore, the correct maturation of the tomato must be considered, but also that it is possible to use both the fresh product and the preserved one, in order not to limit the consumption of this splendid ingredient to the summer period. It is true that cultivation in greenhouses, increasingly widespread and of quality, makes it possible to limit the problems connected to the climate, however it is legitimate to continue to think according to the fresh equation in summer, preserved in winter, also as a matter of taste and consumer habits. That said, for example varieties such as the datterino have a sweetness and a delicacy that must be balanced with a more savory base or other ingredients that go to rebalance (even more so if it is the yellow datterino). This is the case of the focaccia mentioned earlier, which sees in the ripened robiola and grated lemon the extra touch that goes to balance flavor and sweetness.

The ingredients make the difference

When we talk about a basic recipe like bread and tomato, especially if we limit ourselves to this, it is inevitably the ingredients that make the difference. In addition to the right bread and a tomato with the right acidity and consistency, you should always use an extra virgin olive oil of equally high quality, also because it is added to cold and all the more reason it is in a dish like this that the scents of it can be appreciated.

It is in simple things that we see the skill of the craftsman

Bread, focaccia, red pizza: it is in the simplest preparations that one recognizes the hand of the baker and the pizza maker (or both as Arnesano). The fewer the ingredients, the more the defects are seen when a balance or a leavening is wrong. If instead everything is perfect and of quality the equation "less is more" finds its confirmation.

Bread and tomato at all hours

From breakfast to snack, via appetizers, lunch and dinner, bread and tomato knows no bounds. It is true that the savory breakfast is not exactly in the Italian ropes, but bread and tomato is so balanced that it can give the right nutritional contribution to start the day. Not surprisingly, it is also recommended for children's snacks. In its variations, from bruschetta to pappa al pomodoro and so on, it is a perfect dish for lunch and dinner.