Florie, my trusty Fiat Ducato campervan, has been laid up at Antonio Tuerca's workshop having her leisure battery upgraded – new lithium cell, proper shunt, the works – which meant no big supermarket run for me this week. No complaints. I picked up a small chicken from Marta's store instead, with the vague idea I'd roast it in my outside Andalucían kitchen this weekend, and no real plan for what to put alongside it.

Then fellow foodie LittleGravitas, over on Bluesky, posted a link to an escalivada recipe – Catalan roasted vegetables – and that settled it. Smoky peppers, soft sweet onion, silky aubergine, all charred slowly until they give up and collapse into something much better than the sum of their parts. It's the kind of dish that doesn't mind being made a few hours ahead, doesn't mind sitting at room temperature, and doesn't ask anything of you beyond patience and a hot oven. Perfect for a day when the van's in bits and I'm cooking outside with whatever's to hand – in this case my little electric pizza oven, no fan, so everything gets turned rather than left to fend for itself.

I'll finish mine with a scatter of green olives – not traditional everywhere in Catalunya, but traditional enough in my kitchen.

Escalivada Recipe (Catalan Roasted Vegetables)

Serves: 1–2, alongside roast chicken Prep: 10 minutes Cook: About 40 minutes, hands-on

Ingredients

• 1 large red pepper
• 1 small aubergine
• 1 small onion, skin on
• 1 whole garlic clove, unpeeled
• 1½–2 tbsp good olive oil, plus extra to finish
• Sea salt
• A small handful of green olives, to finish

Method for Escalivada Recipe

Roast: Heat the pizza oven to its highest setting, around 250–280°C – without a fan, the top will run hotter than the base, so expect to turn things more than you would in a conventional oven. Put the whole pepper, aubergine, onion and garlic clove in and turn every few minutes so they colour evenly rather than catching on one side. The garlic will soften first, likely within 10 minutes, so pull it out as soon as it's soft to the touch. The rest will take another 20–30 minutes, turning regularly, until the skins are blackened and blistered all over and everything's gone soft.

Rest: Tip the pepper and aubergine into a bowl and cover with a plate or clingfilm while they're still hot. This steams the skins loose and makes them far easier to peel.

Peel: Once cool enough to handle, peel the pepper and aubergine, discarding skins, stalks and seeds. Peel the onion too. Squeeze the roasted garlic clove from its skin – it should come out soft and sticky. Don't rinse anything under the tap to speed this along – you'll wash away the flavour along with the mess.

Tear: Tear the peeled vegetables into strips by hand rather than cutting them – it keeps a better texture and lets them drink up the dressing.

Dress: Lay the strips out on a serving plate, season with sea salt, and mash the soft roasted garlic through with the back of a spoon before drizzling generously with olive oil. Finish with the green olives.

Serve at room temperature alongside the roast chicken, with good bread to mop up the oil.

My neighbour Rosa, who's from Barcelona, raised an eyebrow when I mentioned finishing mine with olives rather than anchoa. We ended up in a long conversation about anchoa versus anchovies versus boquerones – and somehow from there onto Porra Antequerana, the thick tomato-based cold soup from Antequera she'll be visiting soon on a short break with friends. Related to salmorejo but thicker, with green pepper and more bread, usually finished with hard-boiled egg, Serrano ham or tuna. That one's going on my list – expect it here before too long.

This escalivada recipe is also part of my growing Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection — stuffed peppers, roasted tomato tarts, bean salads, chickpea bowls, and the odd tagine, cooked at Casa Adora and on the road in Spain.

Wonky photos, proper produce, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef