Ketchup! No wonder Trota nearly fell off her perch… 

Pane e Pomodoro – Tomato on bread

This dish is joyful simplicity, the ultimate summer snack. All you need is quality bread – sourdough is a good option – that you can slice thickly. If the bread is a day or two old, so much the better.

Slice the bread, lightly toast or grill it (some prefer not to, but we do), then cut your finest ripe tomatoes into quarters (water and seeds removed) and use them to rub the bread until most of the pulp is on the bread, leaving just the skins (which you can discard). In Tuscany they call this dish freghe, from fregare, to rub.

A pinch of salt, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a couple of basil leaves are all you need to complete your summer snack.

If you’ve never tried this magical flavour combo (bread, tomato, oil and salt) you’re in for a treat: it’s one of the most delicious and satisfying things you will ever taste – there’s nothing to add. You have the Rowes’ word for it.