Tumbet — Mallorcan fried vegetable layers with tomato sauce

Cut the potatoes into slices about 5 mm thick, the eggplant into slices about 8 mm thick, and the red bell pepper into pieces about 3 cm across. Dry every vegetable surface very thoroughly with paper towels to reduce splattering and help browning. Finely chop the garlic. Have ready a deep frying pan about 28 cm in diameter, with a flat cooking surface about 24 cm in diameter, and a baking dish about 30 × 20 cm, at least 5 cm high and about 2.5 l in capacity.

Heat all 20 g of olive oil reserved for the sauce in a separate saucepan. Add the garlic and heat over low heat for 30–45 seconds, until fragrant and lightly golden. Pour in all the passata and add 4 g salt and the black pepper. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens noticeably and a spoon leaves a brief trail across the bottom. Meanwhile, fry the vegetables as described in the following steps. All the finished sauce, including its olive oil, will go into the casserole.

Pour the measured 500 ml of olive oil for frying into the deep frying pan; it will initially form a layer about 1 cm deep. Heat to about 170–175°C: a potato slice should sizzle steadily as soon as it goes in, and the oil should not smoke. Fry the potatoes in three batches of about 200 g, arranging them loosely. Cook each batch for 8–10 minutes total, turning, until the slices are tender inside and golden on both sides. Lift out with a slotted spoon, let the oil drip back into the pan, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Allow the oil to heat back up between batches.

Fry the eggplant slices in the same olive oil in four batches of about 125 g. Keep the oil at a similar heat and cook each batch for 4–6 minutes total, turning, until the flesh is completely tender and both sides are lightly browned. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain over the pan, and place on paper towels. The oil level will fall as the vegetables absorb it; use the same measured quantity for every batch.

Finally, fry the red bell pepper in two batches of about 200 g, cooking each for 5–7 minutes total and turning until tender and browned in places. Drain it over the pan, then on paper towels, in the same way. Divide the remaining 4 g salt among all the fried potatoes, eggplant and pepper. Allow about 75–80 minutes to fry all nine batches, including heating and temperature recovery. Leave the oil remaining in the pan to cool; do not add it to the finished vegetables or sauce. Toward the end of frying, preheat the oven to 180°C with conventional top and bottom heat.

Spread all the potatoes over the base of the prepared dish, arrange all the eggplant on top, then add all the bell pepper. Distribute the vegetables evenly, slightly overlapping the slices. Pour all the thick tomato sauce over them. Bake uncovered on the middle rack of the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until the sauce bubbles around the edges and every layer is hot throughout.

Remove the tumbet and let it rest for 10 minutes so the layers can settle slightly. Divide into four servings with a spatula, reaching down to the bottom so each includes potatoes, eggplant, pepper and sauce. Serve warm with all the sauce remaining in the dish.