A super simple, super quick, super yummy and super healthy recipe which is perfect for your summer diet. And for sure, the laziest, cheapest and most delicious way to reach heaven status in no time.
This plate reminds me of my mother-in-law and our family holidays in Cambrils. She makes – by far – the best escalivada I have ever tasted. And coming from me this is a big compliment, because I must admit I wasn’t a huge fan of this recipe before I tasted hers.
Not actually sure what her secret is. Perhaps it lays on the super aromatic ‘sarmientos’ (sun-dried grapevines) that she uses to create the embers of the wood fire. Or maybe it’s just the outstanding local products that she buys straight from the farmers. Whatever it is, she definitely knows how to nail this recipe.
The escalivada is a traditional recipe from the regions of Valencia, Catalonia and some areas in Aragon too. In Catalan, it literally means ‘cooked in ashes’ and although this is the orthodox way to cook it, today we’ll use the oven grill to achieve a similar result.
A quick reminder before we begin… this recipe is so simple that everything relies on the quality of its ingredients. So please, buy the best products that you can afford to get the best results!
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
- Preheat the oven at 170ºC.
- Make a small cut on the aubergines skin and place them in a baking dish along with the pepper, the garlic and the onions. Drizzle with some olive oil and bake for 60 minutes, turning the veggies around every now and then.
- Add the tomatoes to the baking dish and bake for another 30 minutes or until all the veggies are charred and well cooked inside.
- Let the veggies cool down. Then peel them and seed them.
- Distribute in a large serving dish, season with salt flakes and drizzle with the oil from the baking. This recipe is best served at room temperature, so let it cool down before you eat it.
This recipe can be enjoyed however you want. I personally love spreading some of the baked garlic on a toast, then cover it with the escalivada and finally top it with some anchovy fillets and sardines in oil. So good!
Of course, you can also eat it on its own or topped with some tuna steak in olive oil or even some smoked mackerel. Another traditional way to serve it is with some cod, either baked or made in ‘brandada’.
