Recipes : Grilled Vegetable Panini : Food Network

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Grilled Vegetable Panini
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 small Japanese eggplants or 1 medium to large regular eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick
slices
2 zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 baguettes (each about 2 feet long)
1/2 cup Basil Pesto, recipe follows
8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
8 large basil leaves, optional

Directions
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.)

Ingredients
Basil Pesto:

Directions
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