Panino di Melanzane

Eggplant Sandwich

Don't start thinking that this is an ordinary veggie sandwich.  Oh, no.  You should know me better than that by now!  Instead of plopping some grilled or fried eggplant between bread, the eggplant becomes the delivery mechanism while the oozy-fresh, melty mozzarella is sandwiched in between.  Just a couple of ingredients make this a fast lunch option or a delicious appetizer.

Eggplant, sliced
fresh mozzarella, sliced
a bit of marinara sauce
basil leaves

If you have young, really fresh eggplant you can use them freshly-sliced.  Otherwise, slice them, salt them and leave the slices to draw out the bitterness for about 1/2 hour.  Then rinse and dry well with paper towels.

Lightly coat the eggplant slices in flour.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Fry in olive oil until golden brown and drain on paper towels.

Heat the sauce.  Spread a little bit of sauce on a slice of eggplant, then top with mozzarella to cover the eggplant.  Sprinkle a couple of basil leaves, then top with another slice of eggplant.  Press together and eat!

A Strange Panino

Salty-Sweet Panino

With summer in full swing, our friends’ garden is bursting with flavors – golden tart apples, plump plums, and fleshy figs. With a basketful of the exotic, sweet fichi in the house, Francesca proposed a lunch of “pizza con fichi e prosciutto”. Okaaay, pizza with figs sounded a little odd to me, but I’m willing to try anything once. What she meant was pizza bianca, plain already-baked pizza – what we would call focaccia in the US- split open to form a panino with the fillings. She peeled and sliced up the figs and smashed them onto the bread, then layered the very thinly-sliced prosciutto on top and closed the sandwich up. We munched away and the result was a salty-sweet concoction, not unlike prosciutto and melon but on a bun, so to speak. A true Mediterranean lunch ready in minutes; oh the simplicity of Italy!

Turkey Jack Sandwich

A local restaurant, Flying Star, makes these tasty sandwiches. I love the flavor - the green chile really makes the sandwich! - and they're a super-easy lunch or a quick dinner, especially when paired with a crispy green salad with lots of veggies on it!

Sliced turkey
slices of Monterrey Jack cheese
chopped green chile - don't leave this out!
good Sourdough bread
butter

Butter one side of each bread slice. Make a sandwich of the ingredients - turkey, cheese and lots of green chile. Toast on a hot griddle or skillet until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melting.
Bueno!