Escalivada

Place the whole peppers, eggplant, and unpeeled onion directly on the oven rack in a 230°C (450°F) oven (or directly on the grill grate over medium-high coals). Roast, turning every 15–20 minutes with tongs, until every vegetable is completely charred black on the outside, collapsed, and soft throughout — approximately 40–50 minutes in the oven, 25–35 minutes over direct coals. The objective is total charring: the black carbon on the outside is not an accident but the mechanism by which the flesh inside steams and sweetens. Do not rush this step by raising the heat further.

Transfer all the charred vegetables to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a large plate. Allow to steam in their own heat for at least 15 minutes — this steaming step is essential. The trapped heat and moisture cause the charred skin to separate cleanly from the flesh beneath and allow the flesh to finish cooking to a silky consistency all the way through. Do not skip or shorten this step. The vegetables will be very hot — handle with care.

Working over the bowl to catch all juices (they are gold), peel the charred skin from each vegetable with your fingers — it should slip off in large sheets with minimal effort. Remove the seeds from the peppers by opening them flat and scraping the seed cluster out. Peel the onion and separate into its natural layers. Do not rinse the vegetables under water — rinsing washes away the smoky juices. A few small flecks of char clinging to the flesh are desirable and add smokiness.

Tear — do not cut — the peppers and eggplant into long strips approximately 2–3 cm wide, following the natural grain of the flesh where possible. Tearing creates irregular, textured edges that hold dressing better than a knife-cut surface and gives the dish its characteristic rustic appearance. The onion naturally separates into its layers. Arrange everything loosely in a wide, shallow serving dish, interleaving the different vegetables for visual variety.

Drizzle the olive oil generously and evenly over the arranged vegetables. Add the minced garlic, a splash of sherry vinegar, and season with coarse salt and black pepper. Toss very gently to coat, being careful not to break the ribbons apart. Scatter the flat-leaf parsley. Taste: the escalivada should be sweet from the peppers, smoky from the charring, and bright from the vinegar, with the raw garlic providing a sharp counterpoint. Allow to rest at room temperature for at least 20–30 minutes before serving — the flavor improves dramatically as the garlic and vinegar marry with the vegetables.