Flower Market Eggplant Tortilla Sandwich

To research Catalan recipes for this book, I rented an apartment in Barcelona that had a balcony overlooking Gaudí’s eccentric Sagrada Família cathedral. The best place for breakfast nearby was the vast Concepció flower market, with a food counter where vendors gathered for hearty Catalan stews or vegetable omelets. Every morning I’d perch at the counter, surrounded by the extravagant scents of roses and lilies, and order the same thing: a stupendous sandwich of tomato-rubbed bread, smeared