Grilled Bread with Serrano Ham, Manchego, and Olives

This simple dish shines when you use the ripest tomatoes you can find.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 pieces)

Ingredients

• Dash of salt
• 2  garlic cloves
• 3  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 8  (1/2-inch-thick) slices Italian or French bread
• 6  medium tomatoes, halved
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2  cup  (about 2 ounces) very thin slices serrano ham or prosciutto
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shaved Manchego cheese
• 1/2  cup  chopped pitted green olives

Preparation

Prepare grill.

Mash dash of salt and garlic with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon to make a fine paste. Combine garlic mixture and oil in a small bowl.

Place bread on grill rack; grill 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.

Rub both sides of toasted bread slices with cut sides of tomatoes, squeezing slightly to leave pulp, seeds, and juice on bread. Discard tomato peels. Spread garlic mixture over bread slices; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cut each slice diagonally in half. Arrange ham and cheese over bread pieces, and sprinkle with olives. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

192 (42% from fat)

Fat:

8.9g (sat 2.1g,mono 3.7g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

7.7g

Carbohydrate:

23.6g

Fiber:

3.5g

Cholesterol:

11mg

Iron:

1.2mg

Sodium:

620mg

Calcium:

95mg