Viking Cooking School, Salt Lake City, Utah Farmers Market 2009

We made these when we had to come up with Safe Picnic Foods, you can put them on a baugette, make it a lttle easier to carry on a hike. These are really, really good, the guy's really liked them.

3 Japanese eggplants, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise

3 red bell peppers

1 red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 large beefsteak tomato, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

Extra-virgin olive oil for grilling

Salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling bread

1 loaf ciabatta, sliced lengthwise

Sherry Vinaigrette, recipe follows

8 slices Manchego cheese can use any cheese

Directions

Heat grill to high. Brush eggplant, peppers, and onion and tomato slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill eggplant, tomato, and onion on both sides until slightly charred and just cooked through. Grill peppers on all sides until charred, remove from the grill, place in a bag, and let rest 10 minutes. Remove skin from the peppers and cut into 1-inch slices. Cut the eggplant, tomato, and onion into large dice.

Whisk garlic, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, and 1/2 cup olive oil together in a large bowl. Add the cut vegetables to the bowl and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Drizzle cut sides of ciabatta with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill, cut side down, for 1 to 2 minutes. Brush grilled bread with some of the Sherry Vinaigrette and then layer on the mixed vegetables and Manchego. Drizzle with more vinaigrette and top with torn parsley. Place other piece of bread on top, wrap sandwich in foil, and place on grill with 2 foil-wrapped bricks on top. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill and foil and cut sandwich crosswise into 2-inch thick slices.

Sherry Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup aged sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper

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