Pressed Grilled Veggie Sandwich

This was our dinner last night, along with some corn on the cob and the fresh orange cheesecake brownies I posted about previously. My parents were in town and I wanted to make them dinner as a {very} small thank you for the amazing vacation they {and my aunt} just took us on. They participated in as much as they could and we were grateful to have them along. Our kids especially missed them after they’d gone home and we continued on with our dolphin experience and a short stop at Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia to visit  a friend of Tom’s who just returned from Afghanistan (of course our visit also included jumping waves, playing in the sand and eating some fantastic food). If you’ve never been to Savannah, Georgia by the way, it is truly a gorgeous city. Huge, old trees thick with spanish moss, cobble stone streets, beautiful design everywhere. It’s something to see! If you go, be sure to visit Leopold’s Ice Cream… I enjoyed both the chocolate raspberry swirl and coconut ice creams.

So back to this sandwich. I’d pinned a similar recipe onto my secret “Future Blog Posts” Pinterest board right before we left and even bought a jar of roasted red peppers to use in the sandwich from Trader Joe’s, so this was an easy choice to make. Instead of following the recipe, I just used what I’d remembered in my head and followed my now most favorite technique for toasting garlic and added it, along with a bunch of other flavorings, to the goat cheese in the sandwich. Everyone loved it and it was a quick meal to prepare.

In addition to the flavorful goat cheese, this sandwich is layered with grilled zucchini, jarred roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts and a drizzle of Monari Federzoni balsamic vinegar glaze, which I used on my asparagus quesadilla. It’s a super flavorful condiment to keep on-hand.

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Pressed Grilled Veggie Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 large ciabatta or country bread loaf from Panera
• 4 small zucchini
• 1 jar roasted red peppers well drained
• 1 15 oz. can of artichoke hearts packed in water, well drained
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 t. salt divided
• 5 oz. goat cheese
• 6 whole cloves garlic unpeeled
• juice of one lemon
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• Monari Federzoni Balsamic Vinegar glaze

Instructions

• Toast the unpeeled garlic cloves in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, shaking occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until skin is starting to blacken. Remove from heat to cool.
• Slice zucchini lengthwise in four sections (slice each zucchini in half and then slice each half in half again, end to end). Drizzle the slices with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Grill over medium heat, a couple of minutes per side... it does not take long! I grilled mine on a pizza pan (with holes in the bottom) directly on the grill grate. You can also place a layer of heavy duty foil on the grates and grill the zucchini on the foil, so you ensure you don't lose the delicate layers down in the grill.
• Meanwhile, slice the red peppers and artichoke hearts and place them in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle with half teaspoon of salt and allow to drain for about 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the goat cheese, lemon juice, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, cracked black pepper to taste and oregano until well combined. Press the toasted garlic cloves through a garlic press and add the garlic to the goat cheese mixture and mash together with a fork to combine.
• Slice your bread loaf evenly in half. Spread half the goat cheese mixture on one side, half on the other side. Evenly layer the grilled zucchini slices on one side of the bread. Evenly layer the red peppers and artichoke hearts on the other half. Drizzle the red pepper and artichoke side with the balsamic vinegar glaze.
• Put the sandwich loaf together and wrap tightly with wax paper. Lay flat on a sheet pan. Place another sheet pan (of equal size) on top of the sandwich and place some heavy flat items (bags of flour and a box of sugar are what I used) on top of the second sheet pan to "press" the sandwich. Place the pans with sandwich pressed in between in the refrigerator and allow to chill for a couple of hours before slicing and serving.

Notes

Adapted from Seasons & Suppers