Coca de Recapte (Catalan Roasted Vegetable Flatbread)

Coca de recapte is Catalonia’s answer to the question of what to do with a summer’s worth of roasted peppers, eggplant, and onion: pile them onto a thin, olive-oil-rich bread dough and bake until the edges crackle.

It sits somewhere between a flatbread and a rustic tart, related in spirit to pissaladère, the French onion and anchovy tart already on the site, though coca leans more toward the roasted-vegetable side and less toward the caramelized-onion side. Every Catalan family has an opinion about what belongs on top, and ‘recapte’ basically just means ‘whatever you have on hand.’

I started making this the summer our garden produced more eggplant and peppers than any household could reasonably eat fresh, and it has stayed in rotation ever since. It is equally good warm from the oven or at room temperature the next day, which makes it one of the better make-ahead options for a summer table.

Coca de Recapte Recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes (plus 1 hour dough rising) · Cook time: 45 minutes · Total: 2 hours 15 minutes · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~290 per serving

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for the pan
• For the topping:
• 1 large eggplant, sliced into rounds
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 4 anchovy fillets, optional
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Roast the peppers whole over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning until blackened all over. Place in a covered bowl to steam for 10 minutes, then peel, seed, and slice into strips.
2. Toss the eggplant slices and onion with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a sheet pan at 425°F for 20 minutes, until soft and lightly browned, stirring once.
3. While the vegetables roast, make the dough: combine flour, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Add the warm water and olive oil and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead 5 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rise 1 hour, until doubled.
4. Punch down the dough and stretch it into a thin oval or rectangle on an oiled baking sheet.
5. Layer the roasted peppers, eggplant, onion, and sliced tomatoes over the dough. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, scatter the anchovies and pine nuts on top, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Bake at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the edges are crisp.
7. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

• Roasting the peppers over an open flame gives a smokier flavor than roasting in the oven; do it if you have a gas stove.
• This bread is meant to showcase whatever vegetables are at their peak — zucchini or artichoke hearts are both traditional additions.
• Leave off the anchovies for a vegetarian version; a few extra pine nuts and a pinch of salt make up the difference.
• Coca de recapte keeps well at room temperature for a day and reheats nicely in a warm oven for 5 minutes.