Toaster Recipes

Here are two delicious, easy things you can do with a toaster oven when you tire of the typical bread/jam/butter combos.

Pa Amb Tomaquet
Coming all the way from Catalunya, Spain, the headquarters of Europe's artistic and culinary resurgence, this classic recipe couldn't be any easier or more delicious. Translated from Catalan, it means, simply "bread with tomato," and is just that, but the recipe cannot be deciphered as easily as the indigenous "peanut butter and jelly."

You'll need: Bread (preferably about 6 inches of chewy baguette), 1 roma tomato, 1 garlic clove (optional), 2 teaspoons olive oil, kosher salt, and a toaster.

Slice the baguette lengthwise and toast it. When you've got it as brown as you like, slice little holes in which the olive oil can collect. Rub the raw garlic on the bread and save or discard. Drizzle olive oil over the toasted surface. Here's where it gets different. Rather than slice the tomato and put it on the bread, just cut the tomato in half and squeeze it as you rub it on the bread. Sprinkle some salt and you've got a classic European after school or breakfast staple.

Oven Dried Tomatoes
Like sun-dried tomatoes? They're tasty, but sometimes have an overpowering effect on recipes. This recipe allows you a similar product that lasts a long time and can be added to everything from hearty meat dishes or a fresh salad. The best thing is that the procedure practically requires that you forget about it.

You'll need: As many tomatoes as you can fit in your toaster oven, salt, olive oil.

Preheat your toaster oven to 200 degrees. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and cut off the stem end. Salt and place the tomatoes on a sheet cut side up and pop them in the toaster oven for about 5 or 6 hours. Any hotter and you'll end up with roasted tomatoes. While delicious, they aren't what we're going for. Dried tomatoes will look shriveled, but not black.

They can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or in a freezer indefinitely. They're best when stored with a coating of olive oil after they cool. Otherwise, use immediately. When chilled, they make a much better accompaniment to a salad than raw tomato, and you can easily remove the skin before serving.