Gourmet recipe of olive oil coca with escalivada and smoked sardines prepared by chef José Cortés

The recipe we are going to show you is olive oil coca that we’ll serve with escalivada and sardines – everything smoked with olive wood. To prepare this coca we are going to avoid using butter or sunflower oil and, instead, we are going to use extra virgin olive oil. The variety chosen will be Arbequina, since it has some fruity and toasted accents that work perfectly with our dish.

Moreover, instead of opting for the traditional Mallorcan presentation, we are going to serve our coca the same way we’d do with toast or crackers so that each diner is able to enjoy the rustic touch of this preparation.

The escalivada, a typical Catalan dish that we have incorporated into Mallorcan cuisine, will be served with our coca. As you will see, it is simple to prepare, since it only consists of baking a series of vegetables. This process can be carried out while doing the coca, or even the day before. The result will be just as delicious thanks to all those seasonal vegetables and the roasted garlic with which we are going to get a spectacular aroma and flavour.

Besides, one of the best qualities of this preparation is its versatility, since it can be a perfect side dish to serve with meat or fish dishes or as one more starter in a menu of several courses with which to delight your guests.

Ingredients:

For the olive oil coca

Flour (whatever the dough needs, approx. 500 g)

150 ml of extra virgin olive oil

150 ml of water

Salt

For the escalivada

1 medium red bell pepper

3 ramillet tomatoes

1 white onion

1 medium aubergine

1 head of garlic

1 handful of fresh parsley

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Flor de Sal d’Es Trenc Olivas Negras

To smoke

Canned smoked sardines

Rosemary sprig

Olive wood sawdust

To garnish

Capers

Pea sprouts

Edible flowers

Extra tools:

Thermomix (optional)

Small kitchen blowtorch

Preparation:

Olive oil coca

First, put the flour in the Thermomix along with the extra virgin olive oil and water. Add salt and start the Thermomix. Let it work for about 5 minutes, checking the consistency of the dough and adding more flour if necessary. When it begins to peel off the edges of the container, it will be ready.

If you choose to make the coca dough the traditional way, you can work the ingredients in a bowl or on the countertop. Add the flour first, make a hole in the middle and add the oil, water and salt. Work the dough with your hands until it stops sticking and you get the desired consistency. Add more flour if necessary.

Once you have the dough ready transfer it to a bowl (unless you made it there in the first place) then cover it with a cloth. Place the bowl in a cool place and allow the dough to rise for an hour. In the meantime, you can continue with the escalivada following the bellow instructions.

After this dough rising time, you can start to manipulate it again to prepare the cocas. To do this, help yourself with parchment paper, in this way you will prevent it from sticking to the kitchen tool. So, take a portion of the dough, place it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out with a rolling pin, giving it an elongated shape.

Then place the stretched dough (which should be about 3 millimetres thick) on other parchment paper and on a baking tray. Pinch the edges for a more rustic and uneven shape and poke the dough with a fork so it doesn’t rise when baking it.

Carry out the same operation with the rest of the dough and place the tray in the oven preheated to 180ºC for about 30 minutes. You should keep an eye on the cocas while they cook since, depending on the oven, the cooking time can be variable. When they have acquired their golden colour, they would be ready.

Escalivada

To prepare the escalivada, in a tray or gastronorm add the vegetables: red pepper, ramillet tomatoes, aubergine, onion and head of garlic. You don’t need to previously peel these vegetables since they will be roasted, and the skin will be removed later. Then add a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Place the tray or gastronorm in the oven preheated to 180º C for about an hour. During this time, it is advisable to turn the vegetables so that they are roasted evenly and not just on one side. This time may coincide with the time it takes for the dough of the cocas to rise, to make the most out of your cooking time.

Once the hour has passed. Remove the tray of vegetables from the oven (here you can put the cocas) and let them cool down a bit. When they can be handled without burning your fingers, remove the skin with the help of a knife. Keep in mind that as they cool, it will be increasingly difficult to peel them, so it’s advisable to do it while they are still hot.

Next, place the vegetables on a board and julienne them, then add them to a bowl. Also, chop a handful of fresh parsley and add it. Splash approximately one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil along with a generous pinch of Flor de Sal d’Es Trenc Olivas Negras. Mix all the ingredients well to finish.

To serve:

On top of the cocas, spread a couple of tablespoons of the escalivada and add a chopped smoked sardine loin on top. Next, place the prepared cocas in a gastronorm, along with a (fireproof) bowl containing olive wood sawdust and a sprig of rosemary.

Light the sawdust and rosemary with the blowtorch and cover the gastronorm with aluminium foil so that the smoke aromatizes the cocas for about 2 minutes.

Next, to give it a vinegary touch, add a caper cut in half to each prepared coca. Continue garnishing the dish with some pea sprouts and edible flower petals (pansies, for example).

Place the preparation on your plate of choice (in our case it was olive wood). And finally, finish your preparation with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.