Tumbet: Mallorcan layered vegetable bake

Ingredients

• 500 g floury potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 2 medium aubergines, sliced into rounds, salted and rested to draw moisture
• 2 large red peppers, deseeded and sliced
• 2 medium courgettes, sliced into rounds
• For the tomato sofrito
• 500 g ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• as needed olive oil, extra virgin, for the sofrito
• as needed olive oil, refined, for frying the vegetables
• to taste fine salt

Method

1. 1
   Salt the aubergine slices generously on both sides and lay them in a colander. Rest for at least 30 minutes. Pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper before frying. The flesh must be dry to the touch — any residual moisture will prevent proper frying.
2. 2
   Prepare the tomato sofrito. Warm extra-virgin olive oil in a wide pan over a medium-low heat. Soften the onion and garlic without colour until translucent, then add the tomatoes. Cook steadily, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, concentrated, and no longer releases liquid. The sofrito must fall heavily from a spoon, not run — a thin, water-based sauce will break the integrity of the layers.
3. 3
   Heat refined olive oil to a depth of 1–2 cm in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the potato slices first, in batches, until golden and cooked through. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Pass the oil through a fine strainer to remove any particles before frying the next vegetable.
4. 4
   In the same strained oil, fry the aubergine slices until deep golden on both sides. Remove and drain. Strain the oil again. Fry the red peppers until softened and lightly coloured at the edges, then remove and drain. Strain the oil once more. Finally fry the courgette slices until golden on both sides. Remove and drain. Each vegetable must be fried separately — frying together produces a steamed, not fried, result.
5. 5
   Oil a clay cazuela. This is where the dish lives or dies: layer the vegetables into the cazuela in sequence — potatoes first, then a generous layer of tomato sofrito; aubergine next, then sofrito; peppers, then sofrito; courgette, then a final covering of sofrito. Each layer must be fully and evenly blanketed before the next vegetable is placed on top. The earthenware cazuela is integral to the technique — its heat retention shapes the final texture.
6. 6
   Bake at 180 °C for 20 minutes to integrate the layers. Remove from the oven and allow to rest, uncovered, at room temperature until completely cool. Tumbet is never served hot from the oven — the dish must rest before it is presented. It improves further if made the day before and kept overnight.