Roasted Pepper, Eggplant, And Tomato - (Escalivada)

While the escalivada can be made indoors, its flavor is incomparably improved when the vegetables are cooked over a wood or charcoal fire. Throw green and red peppers and eggplants on hot coals or directly in fire. Roast tomatoes briefly on grill or over dying embers. Turn peppers and eggplants from time to time until all skin is blackened (but not calcinated). Strip off peel with fingers while vegetables are still hot. Cut peeled vegetables into long strips; arrange decoratively in a platter with whole grilled tomatoes. Sprinkle olive oil liberally over all and salt lightly.

Escalivada is delicious as a hot vegetable with grilled meats and chops, as an hors d'oeuvre, or as a cold salad. On picnics, the grilled peppers and eggplants are often spread on tomato bread and eaten with grilled sausage on top. To make it indoors, bake peppers and eggplant in a moderately hot oven 45 minutes before peeling. An alternate method is to coat the peppers and eggplant with oil, fry on all sides, and cook slowly, covered, on top of stove for about 30 minutes or until peel comes off easily. The tomatoes can be roasted, grilled, or fried whole.

Tomato Bread: Olive oil and tomato replace butter for sandwiches in the olive-growing parts of Spain. The pulp of a ripe tomato is rubbed on a piece of bread or toast, often previously rubbed with garlic. It is sprinkled liberally with olive oil, lightly with salt, and is eaten with a grilled pork sausage, a slice of cured ham, a cold omelet, or anything else you choose.