An open-faced flatbread topped with roasted vegetables, peppers, onions, and eggplant in the style of a rustic Pyrenean pizza. This traditional Andorran and Catalan bake celebrates the bounty of the summer garden.
Ingredients
For dough: 3 cups all-purpose flour
For dough: 1 packet (7g) yeast
For dough: 1 cup warm water
For dough: 3 tablespoons olive oil
For dough: 1 teaspoon salt
2 red bell peppers, roasted and cut into strips
1 large eggplant, sliced and grilled
2 onions, sliced into rings
3 tomatoes, sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, and dried oregano
Instructions
1Make the dough: dissolve yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar. Let activate for 10 minutes. Combine flour and salt, add yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise for 1 hour until doubled.
2While the dough rises, prepare the toppings. Roast the peppers under a broiler until charred, peel and cut into strips. Slice the eggplant into 1cm rounds, brush with olive oil, and grill or broil until tender and marked.
3Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Cook the onion rings for 10 minutes over medium-low heat until caramelized and sweet. Season with salt.
4Punch down the risen dough and stretch it into a large oval or rectangle on a greased baking sheet. The dough should be about 1cm thick with slightly raised edges to contain the toppings.
5Brush the dough surface with olive oil and scatter the minced garlic evenly. Arrange the prepared vegetables in an attractive, overlapping pattern: eggplant rounds, pepper strips, caramelized onions, and sliced tomatoes.
6Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the vegetables. Season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Bake at 210°C (410°F) for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden and crispy on the edges and bottom.
7Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into rectangular pieces and serve warm or at room temperature. The coca should have a crispy bottom, a soft interior, and beautifully charred vegetables on top.
Did You Know?
The word 'recapte' means 'provisions' or 'what you have gathered,' reflecting the coca's origin as a way to use whatever vegetables the garden produced. No two cocas de recapte are ever exactly the same.