Catalonia 12: ESCALIVADA (Roasted Vegetable Salad!)🌞

[justaprogressive]

ESCALIVADA

Ingredients (for 4 people)

2 red peppers
2 onions
4 potatoes of the same size as the onions
2 seedless young aubergines
Arbequina olive oil
salt
vinegar

Preparation

1. Wash vegetables and dry well.

2. Roast each of the vegetables on an open flame or, better yet, over
charcoal ashes, checking each for cooking. They can also roast in the
oven. Aubergines cook first, followed by peppers, potatoes and
onions.

3. Wrap in brown paper for a few minutes to keep some of the juice and
aroma and make them easier to peel.

4. Peel carefully without touching the water, or they will lose their
flavour.

5. Arrange on plates and have each guest season to taste.

Comments

Escalivar means to roast a product directly on an open flame or over
embers (holm oak wood, if possible). Clearly, the success of this widely
known salad relies on the roasting procedure of its ingredients. There’s a
difference between roasting over ashes and wrapped in foil in the oven.
That’s why it’s important to value these dishes from their purest source.
But at home it’s difficult to roast over ashes without a fireplace.

Nonetheless, there are gas grills in the shape of a skillet with a hole in the
middle that are placed, covered, directly on the burner. This is the best
substitute for charcoal ashes.

During the winter, some people add spring onions, anchovies or a kipper.
You can also add a chopped garlic clove, a hard boiled egg, or some flaked
salt cod.

From "Roots Catalan' by Joan Roca

A Tapas to remember!! Enjoy!

[yellowdogintexas]

1. I do not understand "peel without touching the water"

This is a technique with which I am not familiar.

Maybe peel the vegetables without allowing the juices to leak?

[justaprogressive]

2. Good question! Possibly the technique

of placing the roasted veggies in brown paper or a plastic bag. This will condense
water on the inside, as well as loosen the skins. I suspect the author means to
keep it out of the condensed, collected water!

[yellowdogintexas]

3. That makes more sense than my guess! Thanks!

This recipe really does sound good.

[justaprogressive]

4. Yeah I looked at 6 more versions

it was the plastic bag that clued me in!