Escalibada - fried vegetables
4 servings
75 minutes
Escudella is a traditional Catalan dish that embodies the spirit of Mediterranean cuisine. Its history traces back to the Spanish province of Catalonia, where simple vegetables are transformed into a fragrant, vibrant, and rich delicacy. Roasted peppers, eggplants, onions, and potatoes acquire a deep, sweet-smoky flavor, while the slight acidity of wine vinegar highlights the richness of their texture. This dish is perfect as a standalone appetizer or as a side to meat or fish. Escudella is served warm or chilled, soaked in aromatic olive oil and garlic sauce. Its simplicity in preparation makes escudella a popular dish that can adorn any table—from home meals to festive feasts.
1
Place the peppers, eggplants, onions, and potatoes — washed but unpeeled! — in a dish, add half of the oil, and bake for 25 minutes at 200 degrees. Then carefully turn the vegetables, add the tomatoes, and bake for another 20 minutes.
- Green pepper: 2 pieces
- Eggplants: 3 pieces
- Onion: 1 head
- Potato: 4 pieces
- Olive oil: 350 ml
- Tomatoes: 2 pieces
2
Remove the dish from the oven and let the vegetables cool so they can be touched. Then, cut the peppers in half, remove the stems and seeds, and slice them into strips. Peel the eggplants and also cut them into strips. Cut the onion into wedges. Peel the tomatoes and chop them. Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl.
- Green pepper: 2 pieces
- Eggplants: 3 pieces
- Onion: 1 head
- Tomatoes: 2 pieces
3
Mix the remaining oil with vinegar, drizzle the vegetables with this dressing, and season with salt and pepper.
- Olive oil: 350 ml
- Wine vinegar: 6 tablespoons
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
4
Cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the flesh with a spoon without damaging the skin, mash the flesh, season with salt and pepper, and return it to the skin.
- Potato: 4 pieces
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
5
Escalibada can be served on one large dish surrounded by potatoes and other vegetables, or on plates, dividing the vegetables equally.
6
Chop the garlic, mix it into the remaining dressing in the bowl, and drizzle this mixture over the vegetables before serving.
- Garlic: 1 clove