Roasted Veggie Sandwich

One night a month or so ago, Doug and I were wasting time in front of the television and Sam the Cooking Guy was on. Have you ever seen him? I must say he amuses me. He loves food and he's not afraid to say so.

Anyway, he was having a veggie night and this sandwich (or something very much like this sandwich) was being featured. I made the comment that I would love this sandwich, if only the people I live with would eat veggies. My husband responded that he absolutely would eat this sandwich, and so I said, "You're on." The following Saturday I bought yummy veggies on my Saturday morning grocery shop, as well as a big loaf of Orlando Ciabatta. Yum.

Doug offered to grill the veggies outdoors, but you could also put them on a grill pan on the stove. I'll do that during the winter. I threw the ingredients for a pesto in the processor and when the veggies were done, it all came together in just minutes. All-in-all it was started and finished within 30 minutes. This would be a great dish for a weekend tailgate party -- especially if you have a veggie eater in your crowd. All of my kids ate it, and Joshua, who is a senior in high school, was so taken by this sandwich that when he saw this picture he said, "Oh, mom, when can we have those again?" Big success!

You can vary the veggies according to what you like; I'm listing those that I used. Also, my pesto is a nut-less version, but feel free to add toasted pine nuts or even toasted walnuts to pump yours up. I could not find the recipe on Sam's website, so I had to work from the memory of the show.

Roasted Veggie Sandwich
serves 4-6 depending on size of ciabatta

printer version

1 large loaf ciabatta bread, sliced horizontally and brushed with olive oil
1 medium yellow squash (sliced in about 1/8-inch slices)
1 medium zucchini (sliced in about 1/8-inch slices)
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced in 1/4-inch slices
1 red onion, sliced
olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil, washed and dried
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Place basil and garlic in bowl of food processor. Process until chopped. Add olive oil through feed tube in a slow drizzle, processing until basil and garlic is pureed, adding only enough olive oil to keep it wet. Add Parmesan cheese, process and then add more olive oil as needed to keep pesto wet (you don't want a paste, you want it just slightly runny). Taste and salt as needed.

Preheat grill or grill pan on stove. Place vegetable slices in a bowl and coat with olive oil (you might want to individually coat onion slices so they stay together). Place vegetable slices on grill or grill pan and grill until tender and slightly charred in appearance. When vegetables are done remove to a platter and cover with foil. Grill bread on cut sides, and on outside if desired. When bread is toasted layer vegetables evenly over bottom piece. Spread pesto on top piece and then sandwich them together. Cut in squares or slice loaf crosswise. Serve immediately.

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