Grilled Eggplant Panini With Basil Aioli Recipe 45

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, zucchini, and onion slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the eggplant, zucchini, and onions until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Cool completely.
• Cut each baguette into 6 pieces. Working with one baguette piece at a time, slice in half and spread both sides with the pesto. Working with the bottom slice of the baguette, stack 2 slices of eggplant, 2 slices zucchini, 1 slice onion, 1 slice tomato, 1 slice mozzarella, and 1 slice of roasted pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place top half of baguette on top and continue with remaining baguette. (The sandwiches can be made 4 hours ahead. Wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup (about) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• In a blender, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until finely chopped. With the blender still running, gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency. Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Season the pesto with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The pesto can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Yield: 1 cup
• Prep Time: 10 minutes

Steps:

• Preheat grill or oven to medium heat, about 350°F. If using oven, place rack 3 to 4 inches from heat. For basil aioli, place mayonnaise, basil, Parmesan, chives, salt and pepper in a blender; cover, and process until smooth. Set aside. Brush eggplant and peppers with oil. Roast 3 to 4 inches from broiler or on a covered grill until tender, 4 to 5 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, chop peppers. Set vegetables aside. Spread cut sides of each Ciabatta roll with 2 tablespoons basil aioli. Top each with 1 slice of cheese. Layer bottom halves of rolls with eggplant and peppers and replace tops. In a Panini press or on the grill, cook the sandwiches until cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve with remaining aioli on the side. Refrigerate leftover aioli for later use.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Pat dry and brush lightly with olive oil.
• Preheat a panini grill and place the eggplant slices in it in an even layer. Grill 3 minutes, until cooked through and nicely marked by the grill. Remove from the heat.
• Spread a little pesto on the bottom slice of bread. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, then a layer of pepper or tomato slices. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Top with the grated cheese and the other slice of bread. Brush the outside of both the bottom and the top pieces of bread with olive oil. Grill 5 minutes, or until nicely toasted and the cheese has melted. Remove from the panini grill and cut into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the bread. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 475 degrees. Cut eggplants into 1-inch cubes. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until browned and tender, about 25 minutes. Toss with red-wine vinegar and basil leaves.

Steps:

• For Panini:.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, zucchini, and onion slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Working in batches, grill the eggplant, zucchini, and onions until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side.
• Cool completely.
• Cut each baguette into 6 pieces.
• Working with one baguette piece at a time, slice in half and spread both sides with the pesto.
• Working with the bottom slice of the baguette, stack 2 slices of eggplant, 2 slices zucchini, 1 slice onion, 1 slice tomato, 1 slice mozzarella, and 1 slice of roasted pepper.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place top half of baguette on top and continue with remaining baguette.
• (The sandwiches can be made 4 hours ahead. Wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate.).
• For Basil Pesto:.
• In a blender, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until finely chopped.
• With the blender still running, gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency.
• Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese.
• Season the pesto with more salt and pepper, to taste.
• (The pesto can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Yields 1 cup and takes about 10 minutes to prepare.

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan or panini press.
• Brush eggpant slices with 1 t olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Grill until marked and just soft, about 4-6 minutes. If using the grill pan, turn once.
• Cut bread into 4 pieces; slice pieces in half lengthwise.
• Drain and dice sun-dried tomatoes. In small bowl, mix mayonaise with tomatoes.
• Cover one side of ciabatta with mayo mixture.
• Divide grilled eggplant slices between the four sandwiches.
• Add cheese on tops and add other slice of bread on top.
• Brush sandwiches with olive oil and grill until cheese is melting and bread is crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Serve with marinara sauce or picante sauce.