Escalivada
Aubergine, red pepper and onion roasted whole until soft and smoky, peeled, torn into strips and dressed with olive oil, a Catalan classic.
Photograph credit: Escalivada (image of Escalivada on Wikidata Q2697699) by Emi Yañez · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Before You Start
Char the skins well.
Tear the vegetables rather than cutting them.
Serve with anchovies or salted cod.
Cooking Escalivada
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Heat the oven to 220°C / 430°F (200°C / 390°F fan). Prick the aubergines and put them whole on a tray with the peppers and onions.
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Roast for 50 minutes, turning once, until the skins are black and blistered and the vegetables are soft.
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Put the peppers in a covered bowl and leave for 15 minutes. Peel the skins from the peppers, aubergines and onions.
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Tear the flesh into long strips, drain off any liquid, and arrange on a plate. Dress with the olive oil, salt, garlic and vinegar.
Why It Works
Char them hard, then steam them in their own skins: those are the two stages of a good escalivada, and the name comes from the Catalan word for cooking in embers. The vegetables go straight onto the heat, aubergine, pepper and onion, until the skin is black and the inside is soft and sweet. Then they are covered and left to cool, so the steam loosens the skins.
In a Catalan kitchen this is done in the coals of a fire. At home, a 220°C / 430°F oven with the vegetables on a tray does the job, taking about 50 minutes. Turn them halfway. A gas flame gives the best smoky taste. Don't cut the vegetables before roasting. They steam in their skins and stay juicy.
When black and collapsed, put the peppers in a covered bowl for 15 minutes to steam. Peel the skins off the aubergine, pepper and onion, and tear the flesh into long strips along the grain. The aubergine will release liquid; drain it.
Arrange in layers on a plate, season with salt, drizzle with plenty of olive oil, and add a few drops of sherry vinegar if you like. Serve warm or at room temperature, on bread or with grilled fish or meat.
After You've Cooked It
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days under a layer of oil.
Changing the Recipe
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Good With
- Crusty bread
- Anchovies
- Grilled sausage
- Cava
Still Wondering?
How long does Escalivada take to make?
10 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes of cooking, plus 15 minutes of standing, so allow 1 hour 15 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
Escalivada Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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