Cellar Tastings

Escalivada is one of the classic Mediterranean dishes, colourful, healthy, delicious and perfect for the balmy weather in Ibiza and Barcelona. The key ingredients are bright purple eggplants (aubergine), ripe red peppers and onions, roasted until the juices spill out and drizzeled in olive oil. Catalonia is a region stretching from the French border south all the way to Tarragona. The inhabitants have their own language, Catalan, spoken as much or even more than Spanish. Variations of Catalan are even spoken in the Balearic Islands and Valencia and Alicante. In Catalan, “Escalfor” means “heat”, hence the root of the name. Escalivada is one of the simplest and yet most savory dishes made in Spain, and it is fantastic for a light meal on a warm summer’s night, accompanied by a zippy Catalan white wine such as Marques de Alella or even a Garnacha Blanca based white wine from Priorat. This recipe was contributed to Cellar Tastings by Alicia Juanpere who is the owner of Catacurian, the famed Priorat cooking school in Spain’s Catalonia region.

Ingredients

• 3 Red Peppers
• 2 small Eggplants
• 2 Onions
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• Enough Olive Oil to coat vegetables generously
• 3 Tomatoes
• Salt to taste

Preparation

Wash all of the vegetables, dry and then coat in olive oil and salt to taste, and place on the grill. Roast until the skins are blackened (roasting on the grill is called “ a la brasa” in Catalan). If you don’t have a grill, you can use an oven. Once the skins of the vegetables are blackened, remove from heat and place in a bowl. Cover and allow to cool. Then, peel all of the skins of the vegetables and arrange on a platter. Dress in more olive oil and salt to taste. Escalivada can be served on its own (delicious with Romesco Sauce), or as an accompaniment to meat or fish dishes. This is a beautifully colorful dish and an elegant addition to a classy dinner party.

Try this dish with: Martin Codax, Albariño

Located in the scenic Salnés Valley, the north west of Pontevedra is in the beautiful tributaries around the fishing village of Cambados, Martín Códax has firmly placed the enchanting Albariño grape variety on the international stage. Relatively new in Spanish terms (less than 20 years), the Galician winery has made leaps and bounds in terms of producing quality, clean fresh wines and in getting the word out. Unusual in the area, Códax only uses its own estate grapes, rather than buying them in from local growers. The winemaker, Luciano Amoedo Rodino, was also the founder of the "Rías Baixas" Denomination of Origin (appellation), and is a pre-eminent wine professional. The Martin Codax Albariño wine is delicate, peachy and fairly low in alcohol, easy to sip a glass or three. It perfectly suits the intense flavours of the peppers, onions and garlic. Bon Appetit!