Cuisine— It’s serious biz at El Bizcocho story by El Don photography by Peter Brown

Vegetable Stack

What’s a bizcocho? The answer can be found in a painting sitting over the fireplace at La Taberna, the lounge next to El Bizcocho, the restaurant. It’s a delicious little doughnut hole-like confection—you often find them piled high up upon each other in Christmas tree formation, lashed together with delicate ribbons of caramelized sugar. The name, possibly of European origin, and especially popular in Uruguay, has been given to a variety of buttery, flaky pastries and even certain cookies. (If you’re from Argentina, you may know them as facturas.) Whatever you call them, I just get excited any time I see such a baroque display of foodstuff. And in retrospect, that seemed to be the perfect name for the place offering the fine dining experience that awaited me in the adjacent room.

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Vegetable Stack
(Makes 8 Servings)

2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
Salt
1 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
8 portabella mushrooms, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
2 medium tomatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for brushing vegetables
2-1⁄2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup diced red bell pepper (or hot chili pepper such as Serrano)

Sprinkle eggplant with salt, and layer in a colander. Weigh down with a plate and set aside to drain for 20 minutes. Brush salt off eggplant. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill, or place a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly brush all vegetables with olive oil, then grill, turning once, until tender and slightly charred, about 30 seconds per side for tomatoes, 2 to 3 minutes per side for eggplant, squash, and zucchini. Whisk together 1⁄2 cup olive oil, vinegar, parsley, and basil in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble, place 1 eggplant round on a plate and stack on top 1 tomato round, a second eggplant round, and squash and zucchini rounds. Drizzle with dressing and top with diced red pepper.