Ultimate Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

Name: Ultimate Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1 piece Ciabatta (1 (1-pound) loaf ciabatta, halved horizontally); ½ cup Basil (½ cup chopped fresh basil); ⅓ cup Mayonnaise (⅓ cup mayonnaise); ⅔ oz Pecorino Cheese (⅔ ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (⅓ cup)); 2 tbsp Capers (2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped); 1 tsp Black Pepper (1 teaspoon pepper, divided); 6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil); 5 cloves Garlic (5 garlic cloves, minced); ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes (¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes); 1 lb Eggplant (1 pound eggplant, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds); 1 piece Zucchini (1 (8-ounce) zucchini, ends removed, halved crosswise, and sliced lengthwise ¼ inch thick); 1 piece Red Bell Pepper (1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered); ½ piece Red Onion (½ small red onion, cut into 2 wedges through root end); 1 tsp Table Salt (1 teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon table salt, divided); 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar); 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella (8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds)

A hearty Mediterranean sandwich of grilled eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, and red onion, layered on ciabatta with a basil-caper mayonnaise, Pecorino Romano, and fresh mozzarella.

90 minMediterranean

Servings4

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Vegetarian
Pescatarian

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Ciabatta1 piece · 1 (1-pound) loaf ciabatta, halved horizontally
Basil½ cup · ½ cup chopped fresh basil
Mayonnaise⅓ cup · ⅓ cup mayonnaise
Pecorino Cheese⅔ oz · ⅔ ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (⅓ cup)
Capers2 tbsp · 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
Black Pepper1 tsp · 1 teaspoon pepper, divided
Extra Virgin Olive Oil6 tbsp · 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic5 cloves · 5 garlic cloves, minced
Red Pepper Flakes¼ tsp · ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Eggplant1 lb · 1 pound eggplant, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
Zucchini1 piece · 1 (8-ounce) zucchini, ends removed, halved crosswise, and sliced lengthwise ¼ inch thick
Red Bell Pepper1 piece · 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
Red Onion½ piece · ½ small red onion, cut into 2 wedges through root end
Table Salt1 tsp · 1 teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon table salt, divided
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena1 tbsp · 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Fresh Mozzarella8 oz · 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds

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Steps

1Using your hands or metal spoon, hollow out ciabatta by removing inner crumb, leaving ¼-inch border on sides and bottom; set aside. Combine basil, mayonnaise, Pecorino, capers, and ½ teaspoon pepper in bowl; set aside.
2Combine oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Microwave, uncovered, until bubbling and fragrant, about 90 seconds. Place eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, and onion on rimmed baking sheet (vegetables will overlap) and brush all over with ¼ cup garlic oil (brush eggplant last, as it will absorb more oil than other vegetables). Sprinkle vegetables with 1 teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper.
3FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.
4Clean and oil cooking grate. Arrange eggplant and zucchini on grill and cook (covered if using gas) until well-browned and tender, 6 to 9 minutes, flipping as needed for even browning. Transfer eggplant and zucchini to large bowl as each piece finishes cooking. Add 1 tablespoon garlic oil and vinegar and toss to combine; set aside.
5Arrange bell pepper and onion on now-empty grill and cook (covered if using gas) until well browned and tender, 12 to 16 minutes, flipping as needed for even browning. Transfer bell pepper and onion to cutting board; slice thin, then sprinkle with remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt. (Grill will be used again in step 7.)
6Brush ciabatta crust with remaining 1 tablespoon garlic oil. Spread mayonnaise mixture inside ciabatta. Build sandwich by layering mozzarella on bottom, followed by eggplant and zucchini, and finally bell pepper and onion. Cap with ciabatta top. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
7Transfer foil-wrapped sandwich to grill and cook, pressing occasionally with spatula, until bread is dark golden brown and charred in spots, 1 to 3 minutes per side (peel back small piece of foil to check bread color). Transfer to cutting board and let foil-wrapped sandwich rest for 5 minutes. Unwrap sandwich, slice, and serve.