Catalan Vegetable Coca with Spring Onions and Roasted Peppers

La storia di questo piatto

Born on the sun-scorched plains of Catalonia, this ancient flatbread carries the memory of every harvest festival, every village square where smoke rose lazily into a golden afternoon sky.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Soft wheat flour, type 0
• 250 ml Lukewarm water
• 7 g Fresh baker's yeast
• 8 g Fine sea salt
• 80 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 600 g Red and yellow bell peppers
• 400 g Fresh spring onions
• 300 g Eggplants
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 g Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 g Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary)

Preparazione

1. Pour the yeast into a bowl with lukewarm water—it must be warm, never hot, or you'll kill the yeast—and add a pinch of sugar: this awakens the yeast. Let it rest until you see the surface lightly foaming, a sign the yeast is alive and ready. In a larger bowl, combine the flour and salt, then pour in the activated yeast and begin kneading with energy: work with your hands, fold the dough over itself again and again until it becomes smooth and elastic, like a small ball that bounces back.
2. Now add the oil little by little, never all at once: dampen your hands, drizzle a small amount of oil onto the dough and keep working until it's completely absorbed, then add more—patience is key. When you've added all the oil, you'll have a smooth, soft dough, almost silky to the touch. Transfer it to a clean bowl, cover with a damp cloth—the moisture protects the surface from crusting—and let it rise in a quiet corner of the kitchen until it doubles in volume.
3. While the dough rests, cut the peppers into wide strips—not thin ones, they shrink too much—and the eggplants into generous batons; leave the spring onions whole with their green stems attached. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle generously with oil, add crushed garlic cloves—they release all their aroma this way—fresh thyme and rosemary. Roast at 220°C and watch: after about twenty minutes, gently stir so everything cooks evenly. You'll know they're ready when the edges begin to brown and they smell like gentle caramel, with some parts slightly crisping at the edges.
4. The dough has risen? Good. Take the baking sheet, oil it lightly, and transfer the dough without deflating it completely. Gently stretch it with damp hands, creating a layer as thick as your finger—about one centimeter—don't pull the edges forcefully, let them relax on their own. Spread the aromatic oil left over from the roasted vegetables—the one that's absorbed all the flavors—across the entire surface.
5. Now arrange the roasted vegetables on the coca generously, but not in perfect order: let them fall naturally, as you place them, keeping some pasta visible. Taste the remaining oil before pouring it on, season with salt and pepper as you see fit—the coca needs flavor—then sprinkle with fresh herbs: parsley, basil, or whatever you have. Bake at 200°C until the base is golden and crisp to the touch, with slightly raised and golden edges.
6. Remove the coca from the oven while still hot—this is the perfect moment—and drizzle a thread of extra virgin olive oil across the surface so it distributes into the pasta's pores. Wait five minutes: residual heat continues lightly cooking the dough and everything settles. Cut into generous squares and serve warm or at room temperature, so the flavors fully express themselves.