You can use any variety of summer squash for this fabulous Italian inspired sandwich. It’s also nice with the addition of other grilled vegetables, such as peppers or eggplant or if you’re a meat eater, chicken or fish. Make your own olive tapenade if you have time or the inclination, but you’re likely to find many excellent choices at any good specialty market.
Be sure to use fresh mozzarella, sold in tubs of lightly salted water in the deli section of most grocery stores or at the farmer’s market, even better. It’s a completely different product from the processed mozzarella we shred on pizza.
This recipe makes 8 sandwiches, and can easily be halved.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 medium summer squash (about ½ lb each), sliced ¼ inch thick
- 8 french rolls or other artisan rolls, split
- Olive tapenade
- ¾ pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 2 large tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced
- 32 basil leaves
Method:
- In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the oregano and ½ cup of the olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a grill pan (or you can grill on an outdoor grill). In a large bowl, toss the squash with the remaining ¼ cup of oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the squash slices for about 5 minutes, turning once, until tender and lightly charred.
- Grill the bread halves, if desired, while you grill the squash.
- Spread some tapenade on the cut side of each roll.
- Mound the squash onto the rolls and drizzle with a little of the dressing. Top with the mozzarella, tomatoes and basil and drizzle with more of the dressing. Close the sandwiches and serve immediately. If you like heat the sandwiches in a panini press to the melt the cheese. Otherwise, they are fabulous as is.
