Spanish
Escalivada
Whole-roasted eggplant, red peppers, and onions peeled into broad ribbons, dressed with their concentrated juices, olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, and sea salt.
6 servings · 25 minutes prep · 55 minutes cook
Ingredients
Whole-Roasted Vegetables
- 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, preferably 2 medium, left whole and pierced twice
- 1 1/4 pounds red bell peppers, about 3 medium, left whole
- 1 pound yellow onions, about 2 medium, unpeeled and left whole
Warm Dressing
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
Blister the Whole Vegetables
- Heat the oven to {{temperature:450°F|230°C}}. Arrange the eggplant, red bell peppers, and onions on a rimmed sheet with space between them.
- Roast, turning every 15 minutes, until the peppers are blackened in patches and collapsed, the eggplant is very soft, and a skewer enters the onions easily, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove each vegetable as it becomes ready.
Steam, Peel, and Pull
- Place the hot vegetables in a bowl, cover, and rest for 20 minutes. Work over the bowl: peel away skins, remove pepper seeds and stems, trim the eggplant, and slip the onions from their outer layers. Do not rinse the vegetables.
- Pull the flesh into broad ribbons with your fingers. Strain the collected juices through a fine-mesh strainer; reserve 1/4 cup and reduce it briefly in a small pan only if it tastes thin and watery.
Dress While Warm
- Stir the garlic, sherry vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and fine sea salt into the reserved juices. Spoon over the warm vegetable ribbons and turn gently with tongs.
- Rest for 15 minutes, then taste each vegetable together and correct the salt or vinegar sparingly. Serve warm, cool, or at room temperature with the ribbons arranged loosely and the platter juices spooned over them.
