Escalivada

Escalivada is a very simple but delicious Catalan dish, made with eggplants and peppers. These vegetables are cooked in the oven for a long period of time until they are very soft. This produces a slightly sweet flavor thanks to the caramelization of the vegetables and it also gives them a smoky taste.

I have to say although I'm not Catalan I know a few things about escalivada since I have lived several years in Catalonia. It was my friend Alicia who introduced me to this dish, although without even trying. I was the nanny of her older son and one day while I was feeding him escalivada and realized it had a very pleacent smell. I'm not a big pepper fan but in this recipe, it gets a slight sweet taste that I like a lot.

Although it's a Catalan dish, it's eaten throughout the regions closer to Catalonia like Aragon and Valence. In the Wikipedia it says that the name escalivada actually comes from the aragonese name "escalivar" which means "roast on the embers".

Regardless of where it comes, the important thing is that it's delicious and it's also very easy to make. Just put the vegetables in an oven safe dish, put them in the oven and let them there until they are very soft. Let it cool, remove the skin and seeds and that's it. You can also freeze it, although it's not the same as fresh. In Catalonia you can actually find it at supermarkets, but I don't like it because I like it softer, but that just my personal preference.

It's usually served with a rustic toast of bread called "pan de payés" (peasant bread), a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top and anchovies. I don't eat bread nowadays, so I eat as a side dish.