Escalivada with Romesco and Toasted Almonds

Place the eggplants, bell peppers, onion, and garlic cloves directly on the burners of your stove or on a hot grill. Char them over medium-high heat, turning every few minutes, until the skin is blackened and blistered on all sides and the flesh is soft — about 15 to 20 minutes total. The garlic will take less time, so pull it out after 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the charred vegetables to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let them steam and cool for 10 minutes — this makes the skins slip off effortlessly.

While the vegetables cool, char the romesco tomatoes and extra bell pepper the same way on the stove or under the broiler until deeply blistered and soft, about 8 minutes per side.

While the vegetables cool, char the romesco tomatoes and extra bell pepper the same way on the stove or under the broiler until deeply blistered and soft, about 8 minutes total for tomatoes (turning as needed) and 15-20 minutes for the bell pepper, turning every few minutes.

Add the toasted almonds, garlic, breadcrumbs, smoked paprika, and salt to the mortar. Pound or blend until you have a rough, textured paste — not smooth, not fine. The beauty of romesco is its rustic grit.

Toast 80g almonds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, tossing frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Watch them closely — they go from golden to burnt fast. Allow to cool slightly, then rough-chop. Add to the mortar along with the charred garlic, breadcrumbs, smoked paprika, and salt.

Place the whole almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, tossing frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Watch them closely — they go from golden to burnt fast. Tip them onto a plate to cool.

Peel the skins from all the cooled escalivada vegetables — the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic. The skins should slip off easily. If the bell peppers and eggplant resist, give them another minute under plastic wrap to steam further.

Slice the eggplant lengthwise and fan the pieces across a large serving platter. Arrange the roasted bell peppers in strips alongside. Fold the peeled onion into petals and scatter them over. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic cloves from their skins and dot them around.

Spoon the romesco sauce generously over the vegetables or serve it in a small bowl on the side for dipping. Drizzle the assembled dish with a final glug of good olive oil.

Scatter the toasted almonds and fresh parsley over the top. Serve immediately while still warm, or at room temperature — escalivada is equally magnificent either way.