Ingredients
| 1¼ medium eggplants | |
| 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve | |
| 2½ medium zucchini | |
| 3 large red capsicums | |
| 3 tablespoons good-quality sherry vinegar | |
| 8 anchovy fillets | |
| crusty bread, to serve |
Escalivada is a classic Catalan dish of slow-roasted vegetables, traditionally served at room temperature with good olive oil. At Gilt we layer sweet peppers, silky eggplant and grilled zucchini over a smooth roasted vegetable purée, finishing with anchovies for a salty contrast. It’s equally at home as a starter or alongside grilled fish or meat.
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Instructions
| 1. | Heat the oven to 190°C. |
| 2. | Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and brush with olive oil (use about 2 tablespoons of the oil for grilling all the vegetables). |
| 3. | Heat a grill pan or barbecue until hot and grill the eggplant until lightly charred, then transfer to the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes, or until completely soft. |
| 4. | While still warm, carefully peel away and discard the skin. |
| 5. | Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and brush lightly with olive oil. |
| 6. | Grill, cut-side down, until well marked, 3-5 minutes. |
| 7. | Transfer to a lined baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. |
| 8. | Place the whole capsicums directly onto a hot grill or over a gas flame, turning regularly until blackened all over. |
| 9. | Transfer to a bowl and cover with a plate or clean tea towel for 15 minutes. |
| 10. | Once cool enough to handle, peel away the skin, remove the seeds and cut each capsicum into four long pieces. |
| 11. | Lightly season each vegetable separately with a little olive oil, sherry vinegar (about 2 tablespoons in total) and some flaky sea salt. |
| 12. | For the sauce, put half a roasted capsicum, a quarter of an eggplant and half a roasted zucchini into a blender. |
| 13. | Blend with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar and a pinch of sea salt until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of water to loosen it slightly. Use at room temperature. |
| 14. | To serve, slice the remaining roasted vegetables in 2cm slices lengthwise on an angle (you may not need all the capsicum). |
| 15. | Warm them gently in a 170°C oven for 5 minutes. They should be warm rather than hot. |
| 16. | Spread the sauce across a serving platter. |
| 17. | Arrange the vegetables over the sauce alternating pieces of zucchini, eggplant and capsicum. |
| 18. | Lay the anchovy fillets over the vegetables and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of flaky sea salt. |
| 19. | Serve immediately with crusty bread. |
Recipes & food styling Josh Emett and Glen File
Photography Manja Wachsmuth