Traditional Roasted Escalivada (Peppers, Eggplant, Onion)

🍆 Escalivada: The Art of Perfect Roasting

Escalivada is a traditional dish from Catalonia and Aragon that celebrates the simplicity of good ingredients. Its name comes from the Catalan verb "escalivar," which means to roast over hot ashes. By baking whole peppers, eggplants, and onions at high temperatures, their skins toast while the inside cooks in its own juices, acquiring a silky texture and extraordinary natural sweetness.

🛡️ Why it is exceptionally healthy

• Low Caloric Density: It is a dish of pure vegetable volume, allowing you to eat until full while providing very few calories.
• Protective Fiber: Roasted vegetables provide extremely soft fiber, ideal for people with heavy digestions or intestinal issues.
• Lycopene and Antioxidants: Roasted red pepper releases and concentrates its lycopene, a potent cellular protector, and provides very high doses of Vitamin C.

📝 Step-by-Step Preparation

1. The Preparation: Wash well 2 large, fleshy red bell peppers (about 14 oz / 400g), 2 medium eggplants (about 1.1 lbs / 500g), and peel the outermost layer of 2 large sweet onions (about 14 oz / 400g). Dry them with paper towels.
2. The Baking (The Texture Secret): Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the whole vegetables on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush them very lightly with a few drops of EVOO using your hands.
3. The Roast: Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Halfway through cooking (about 25 minutes), turn all the vegetables with tongs so they roast evenly. They will be ready when the pepper skin is wrinkled and blackened, and the eggplants are very soft.
4. The Rest (Crucial Step): Take the tray out of the oven. Cover the peppers and eggplants with a clean kitchen towel or put them in a closed container for 15 minutes. The residual steam they generate will cause the skin to separate from the flesh, making peeling them a breeze.
5. Peeling and Cutting: Peel the vegetables, remove the pepper seeds, and tear both the peppers and eggplants into long strips with your hands (tradition dictates not using a knife so as not to oxidize the vegetables). Cut the roasted onion into wedges.
6. The Final Dressing: Arrange the vegetables on a platter, forming colored lines. Dress with 1 fl oz (30ml) of excellent quality EVOO, flaky salt, and, if desired, a few drops of sherry vinegar and a finely minced garlic clove.