Spanish Escalivado Tostadas

Ingredients

• 1 small eggplant, trimmed
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 medium red onion, peeled, quartered
• 1 zucchini, trimmed, sliced lengthwise
• 1 small lemon, juice of
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
• sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• extra virgin olive oil, for brushing

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 500°F Place the eggplant, peppers, onion and zucchini in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle over about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss together. Roast in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, turning the vegetables over a couple of time throughout the roasting time. Remove the pan from the oven and let vegetables cool slightly.

2. 2

   Reduce oven temperature to 350°F to toast baguette.

3. 3

   When cool enough to handle, skin the peppers, remove the seeds and core. Peel the eggplant, slice in half and, using a spoon, remove the seeds. Roughly cut the eggplant, peppers, onion and zucchini and transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper and toss together. Let sit for a few minutes at room temperature to allow flavours to develop.

4. 4

   Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet. Lightly toast in the oven for about 5 minutes in total, turning once. Remove from the oven and lightly brush with a bit of olive oil. Spoon a little of the vegetable mixture on each toast and serve. Serves 4-6.

5. 5

   Serve with Spanish white made from Albarino grape. This wine has a fresh, crisp, appley flavour, very similar to the vinho verde of Portugal, where this grape is called alvarinho.

6. 6

   New Celtic Cooking.