tomatoey bread crumbs
These breadcrumbs add an umami-packed crunch wherever you sprinkle them, like savory fairy dust. Panko works great here, but it’s also a great way to use up leftover and/or stale bread. The key is to make sure you give them a proper toasting before adding the tomato paste to prevent everything from going soggy. When you’re done cooking, things should feel just shy of crunchy - they will harden as they cool! Sprinkle these tomatoey lil guys over salad with some parm and you’re basically eating pizza...almost.
yield about 1 1/4 cup
1 cup panko breadcrumbs OR 2 packed cups of roughly chopped baguette, ground in a food processor to 1/4-inch (or smaller!) pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1/3 cup tomato paste
riffing
add a little pimenton (smoked spanish paprika) with the tomato paste
use whatever stale bread you have laying around
once they’ve cooled, mix breadcrumbs with some grated parm
recipe prep
In a large skillet over medium heat, combine breadcrumbs and olive oil. Season with a couple pinches of kosher salt and toss breadcrumbs to coat evenly in the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until breadcrumbs are deeply golden. In a small bowl, stir garlic and tomato paste to evenly combine. Transfer tomato paste to the pan with the breadcrumbs and toss to coat, press with the back of your spoon to break up clumps of paste until everything is evenly distributed. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste has darkened and bread crumbs have dried out, 10-25 minutes (baguette will take longer!). Remove from heat and cool before using.
do it ahead
Cook breadcrumbs and cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. They will keep up to 4 days covered at room temperature. If needed, crisp them back up a bit in a pan.
