Catalan Grilled Vegetable Salad

Eating this dish in Catalonia, I always quietly gasp at how utterly magical plain grilled vegetables can taste. I had ascribed my gasps to the quality of the Catalan peppers, onions, and eggplants, but when I made escalivada at home, the magic remained. Escalivada—or escalibada—is from escalivar, or to cook in ashes, which is how the dish is traditionally prepared. Though today many Catalans roast the vegetables in a hot oven, to me this misses the point, as smok