Preparation
Prepare the oven and the vegetables
Heat the oven to 200 °C, top and bottom heat. Rinse the aubergines, peppers and onions (keep the onions in their skins) under cold water and pat them thoroughly dry. Prick the aubergines several times with a fork so they do not burst in the oven. Arrange the vegetables side by side in a large ovenproof dish and rub them with 3 tbsp olive oil — no salt yet, that comes at the very end.
Roast slowly in the oven (60 to 75 minutes)
Slide the dish onto the middle rack and roast the vegetables for 60 to 75 minutes, until the skins are darkly marked all over — black in places — and the inside gives way completely when pressed. Turn the peppers every 20 minutes so they colour on every side. Add the tomatoes (if used) only for the last 25 minutes — they need less heat. When the skins blister black and the aubergine sinks deeply under pressure, they are done.
Rest and peel
Take the hot vegetables from the oven, put them in a large bowl and cover with cling film or a plate; let them rest, covered, for 15 minutes — the rising steam loosens the skins. Then peel the aubergines, peppers and onions with your fingers (or a small knife if needed); strip the dry outer layer from the onions. Remove the seeds and stems from the peppers. Be sure to catch every drop of the escaping juice — it is the liquid gold of the escalivada.
Tear into strips and season
Tear the peeled aubergine and pepper flesh lengthwise into finger-thick strips — with your hands, never with a knife, so that the fibres stay intact and the oil is drawn in more readily. Cut the onions into rings or wedges, roughly divide the tomatoes. Arrange everything on a flat serving platter. Whisk the reserved roasting juice with 6 tbsp olive oil, the grated garlic and the vinegar, drizzle it over the vegetables and season with flor de sal and freshly ground black pepper. Leave to settle at a warm room temperature for 30 minutes.
Plate up and serve
Lay the anchovy fillets over the escalivada, scatter with fresh parsley and finish with a last thread of the finest olive oil. Warm, torn country bread on the side — the escalivada is meant to be scooped onto that bread, with a piece of anchovy on top. Traditionally it is served lukewarm or at room temperature, never straight from the hot oven.
Why this wine?
The Prélude meets escalivada as a warm autumn afternoon meets an open wood fire: its bright strawberry and citrus fruit answer the deep sweetness of the melted peppers, while its crystalline freshness carries the smoky, earthy depth of the peeled aubergine with ease and underlines the salty precision of the anchovy. Bordeaux rosé meets Catalan wood oven — both stay light, both stay precise.
