Grilled Vegetable & Mozzarella Panini
Thursday, September 17th, 2009There is no doubt that a grilled panini is the ultimate in gourmet sandwiches. This recipe calls for grilling the vegetables before grilling the sandwich, which makes it extra-special. The sweetness brought out by grilling the vegetables beforehand is heightened by the crunch of the bread when the put-together sandwich is toasted on the grill.
Ingredients:
- 1 sweet red pepper
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium-large eggplant
- 3 TBSP. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. paprika
- 1 TBSP. dried basil
- 1 TBSP. balsamic vinegar
- 1 thin French baguette
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese slices
Cut the red pepper in half and remove the stem and seeds. Brush the pepper with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a hot grill and cook until skin is blackened. Remove from grill and place the pepper halves in a plastic bag and seal. When cool enough, remove the pepper halves from the bag and slip off the charred skin. Slice the meat of the pepper into slices. Set aside.
Cut the zucchini and eggplant into long thin slices, about ½ “ thick. Brush the vegetables with a little olive oil and season them with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Grill over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side using your grill, B-B-Q or oven grill,. Set aside to cool.
Slice the baguette in half lengthwise. Bush the open sides with a little more of the olive oil. Place the bread soft side down on the grill and let toast for about a minute.
Remove the baguette and start assembling the sandwich. Mix together the remaining olive oil, the vinegar and the dried basil. Alternate layers of vegetables and cheese. Spoon this mixture over top of the last layer of vegetables, and then add the last layer of cheese.
At this stage you can eat the panini as is, or return it to the grill to warm it up again and melt the cheese a little. If you have a panini press or sandwich press, grilling the outside of the panini gives it that extra crunch.
Cut the panini into serving pieces. Enjoy!
