Escalivada is a Spanish dish of smoky grilled or roasted vegetables that hails from the Catalonia region of the country. Joe and I ordered it daily when we were in Barcelona, and each restaurant—and home, for that matter—has its own interpretation. The types of vegetables almost always remain the same, though: eggplant, bell peppers, and onions. Sometimes tomatoes are involved, too, but I like to let the former three take the spotlight, since tomatoes so often do.

My preferred way to enjoy escalivada is to pile it onto crusty bread, so this mash-up of the Catalan dish with the Italian bread salad panzanella is one I hope both countries will allow me. Tossing the smoky vegetables with torn, toasted bread not only adds bulk but lends textural contrast, as the vegetables are quite soft and silky on their own. Crumbled goat cheese isn’t totally necessary, but the pockets of cool creaminess it lends are lovely, as is brightness from the generous dose of chopped fresh parsley.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 large red bell peppers (about 1¼ pounds)
• 2 large yellow bell peppers (about 1¼ pounds)
• 1 small yellow onion
• ¼ cup plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ of a good sourdough or country-style bread loaf, sliced or torn into roughly 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
• ¼ cup sherry vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera), preferably hot or picante
• ¾ cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• Flaky sea salt, for serving 

Instructions

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Use the tines of a fork or the tip of a paring knife to poke several shallow holes all over the eggplant (this helps it release steam while it roasts so it doesn’t explode). Place the eggplant, bell peppers, and onion on the prepared baking sheet (no need to trim, peel, or cut them just yet). Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and rub to coat. Season all over with kosher salt and pepper. Roast until completely soft and blackened in spots, flipping the vegetables with tongs halfway through, about 1 1/2 hours.

When the vegetables are roasted, remove from the oven, transfer to a rimmed cutting board, and let cool while you prepare the bread and vinaigrette.

Carefully remove the parchment paper from the baking sheet used to roast the vegetables and place the bread cubes on the now-empty baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Use tongs to toss and coat the bread, then spread into an even layer. Bake, tossing halfway through, until dry and pale golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, the vinegar, garlic, smoked paprika, a generous pinch of kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper until combined and emulsified.

Once the eggplant, peppers, and onion are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off and carefully cut each vegetable in half to release the heat trapped inside. Continue to let cool.

Once the bread cubes are toasted, let cool for 5 minutes.

Use a spoon to scrape the seeds from the bell peppers, then cut the peppers into roughly 1-inch pieces and add them to the bowl of vinaigrette. Cut the eggplant and onion into roughly 1-inch pieces and also add them to the bowl, along with the toasted bread cubes. Toss well to combine and coat in the vinaigrette and vegetable juices. Add the parsley and toss again.

Let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours, tossing occasionally, to distribute the juices and vinaigrette evenly. Before serving, taste and season with additional kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Crumble goat cheese over the salad, toss gently again, and sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt.