Tosta de Sobrassada amb Mel

Tosta de sobrassada amb mel is Mallorcan, and Mallorca gives it its name before anything else does. Soft cured sobrassada, red with pimentón, is spread over good bread and warmed until the fat loosens and sinks into the toast. Then comes honey, not a flood, just a thread. Balance is the dish.

The method that decides it is the heat. Sobrassada should melt and gloss, not fry hard or dry out. Toast the bread first so it can stand up to the fat, spread the sausage thin enough to warm through, then finish it under gentle heat until the surface shines and the edges just darken. If the bread is pale and soft, the whole thing slumps. If the sobrassada burns, the pimentón goes bitter. Neither is necessary.

If you can't find Mallorcan sobrassada where you are, look for a soft spreadable Spanish chorizo-style sausage with pimentón, or a good sobrasada sold in a casing or tub. Hard cured chorizo is not the same thing; it slices, it doesn't melt. Use it only if you mince it very fine with a little olive oil, and know the texture will be rougher. No hace falta haber pisado España, but you do need the right kind of sausage.

Serve these hot, cut small for a table or whole for a quick meal. Pésalo, no lo adivines: too much honey buries the sobrassada, and too much sobrassada makes the bread heavy. Follow the amounts once, then your hand will learn. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.