Bocaditos de Espencat

  Espencat is a very typical dish from the south of Valencia, my region in Spain.  It essentially consists of grilled eggplants and peppers (red or green), some type of salty fish (traditionally dried codfish) and olive oil. 

  The term espencat means "teared longitudinally", which basically refers to the way you break the eggplant and pepper once grilled.  You do so by using your fingers and tearing it apart, instead of cutting it with a knife.  Ideally you want to grill the veggies (whole pieces) on the stove for best flavors, however it's sometimes easier to put them in a tray in the oven and turn them when they're halfway done.

  Whenever I have dried codfish available that's what I use to make the Espencat.  When that's not an option I use canned Bonito del Norte (a very high quality type of tuna fish- much smaller - that comes from the Cantabrian Sea at the North of Spain) or canned tuna fish.  If you are using dried codfish you'll need to soak it in water for a few hours before adding it to the dish.  Follow the instructions of the vendor.  Usually soaking over an 8 hour period - changing the water every 4 hours- is enough.

Sometimes, like in this tapa in the picture, I also serve the Espencat with hard boiled eggs (quail eggs in this case).

  
Here's what you'll need:


MATERIALS

- Oven tray or grill pan

- Plate to serve, or spoons depending on how you want to present it


INGREDIENTS

- 2 eggplants

- 2 red peppers (or green)

- Dried codfish (could substitute for Bonito del Norte or Tuna Fish)

- And if you wanna do the presentation like I did you'll need hard boiled Quail eggs 

- Olive oil and salt (if needed)


HOW TO PREPARE IT

1. If you're using dried codfish, remember to soak it in water the day before.


2. Start by making a few cuts in the veggies (kind of like stabbing them a couple times) so they won't blow up while cooking.  Continue by grilling the vegetables over the grill pan or in the oven.  You'll need to use a medium to low heat and turn the vegetables regularly to make sure they cook well throughout.  I like to cover them with a lid.  If you use the oven, set the temperature to 375ºF and turn them a couple of times until they feel cooked.

3.  When the vegetables are ready, allow them time to cool completely.  The next step is to peel them.  Use your fingers to remove the thin skin of the pepper and use a spoon to detach the flesh of the eggplant from it's skin.

4. Now use your fingers to tear thin strips of eggplant and pepper and set them on a plate.  Continue until you are done.

5. Decide on your presentation.  You can serve it all mixed together (veggies, fish and olive oil) on a plate or make little bites out of it if you wanna get fancier!

6.  This is a COLD (or room temperature) dish, so keep in the refrigerator or cool place until ready to serve.



Serve with grilled bread!