Flauta de Jamón Catalana

Flauta de jamón is Catalan: a long, narrow bread roll rubbed as pa amb tomàquet, bread with tomato, then laid with good jamón in loose folds. In Catalonia you may hear it as flauta de pernil. What makes it this dish and not just a ham sandwich is the bread, slim and crackly, with enough crumb to take tomato and oil without going wet.

The method that decides it is the crust. If the flauta has softened, warm it briefly until it crackles again, then split it and rub the cut side with ripe tomato. Rub, don't spoon. The tomato should stain the crumb and leave its skin in your hand, not sit there like sauce. Oil comes after, then a careful pinch of salt, because the ham brings plenty of its own.

Far from Catalonia, use a ficelle or the thinnest good baguette you can find. If the crumb is too thick, pull a little out before you rub the tomato, or the sandwich becomes all bread. Jamón serrano is the everyday choice; ibérico is a luxury, not a requirement. Prosciutto works at a pinch, but it is sweeter and softer, so salt less and don't pretend it is the same. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.