Braised Veggies Catalan Style (Escalivada Catalana)
Course: Side Dish, Salads, StarterCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: EasyServings
4
servingsPrep time
15
minutesCooking time
40
minutesTotal time
1
hour10
minutesIn Catalonia we serve Escalivada either as a side dish with barbecue, as an additional ingredient to a salad or warm, on a slice of toasted bread with melted goat or sheep cheese. Either way is super yummy and healthy!
Ingredients
2 Large red bell peppers
2 Large eggplants
1 Large onion
1 Large garlic head
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Directions
- Wash the veggies.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Brush an ovenproof dish with olive oil.
- Put more of the olive oil in your hands and rub it all over the vegetables. Then put the vegetables in the mold and bake them in the hot oven for about 40 minutes.
- Cover the mold with aluminum foil to retain the steam. After at least 10 minutes, you can uncover the vegetables and peel and cut into strips the eggplant, peppers and onion. Collect the juice from the vegetables.
- Cut the garlic bulb in half and squeeze out the now soft garlic. Add it to the vegetable juice. Add the remaining olive oil and some salt and mix well. Now coat the vegetables with the marinade. Make sure that the veggies are totally covered with the marinade to keep them fresh.
- You can keep the braised vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.
- Tip: If you don´t like garlic, you can skip it and use olive oil only.
Notes
- RED PEPPERS contain the carotene lycopene, which may have a preventative effect against cancer, heart disease and degenerative eye conditions. BELL PEPPERS are very high in vitamin C. Other vitamins and minerals in bell peppers include vitamin K1, vitamin E, vitamin A, folate, and potassium.
- EGGPLANTS contain Vitamin K which improves bone density, overall health and reduces the risk of bone fractures especially in post-menopausal women. They contain phytoestrogens, which are plant-based estrogens that help balance estrogen levels in women going through menopause. Eggplants have a high fiber but low calories content, so they are very filling but also improve our bowel function and help reduce water retention and bloating. Eggplants contain important nutrients like vitamin B1, copper, manganese, potassium, and magnesium.
