Escalivada

Rural Catalonia, named from Catalan escalivar — to cook in embers — referring to the original method: vegetables buried whole in the ashes of a dying wood fire and left to slow-roast. Documented in 19th-century farmhouse literature, it was largely a byproduct of hearth cooking — dinner finished, the fire dying, vegetables tucked into the embers for the next day's cold meal.

Catalan name from «escalivar» — to cook in embers. Eggplant, red pepper, onion, sometimes tomato, charred whole then peeled and torn into strips, dressed with olive oil and salt. Anchovy on top is the Empordà move.

Roasted eggplant, red bell pepper, and onion, peeled and torn into long strips, glossed with olive oil, salted, sometimes with a few anchovies or roasted tomato added. Served warm or room temperature on bread or alongside grilled meat. Smoke is the dominant note, then sweetness from the slow-cooked vegetables. The strips should drip oil but not be soggy.

Live char is load-bearing. The smoke flavor only develops if the skin actually blackens over flame or coals — oven-roasting at home gets close but never matches. Whole vegetables, no oil, no salt during cooking; oil and salt only after peeling. Resting in a covered bowl after charring lets the steam loosen the skin and pulls out more juice for the dressing.