Eggplant caponata is an easy and delicious way to cook up lots of vegetables from the garden or farm.   Summer squash, tomatoes, peppers, onions, celery, and, of course, eggplant, are cooked down to a pulp and mixed with tangy olives, capers and vinegar to create a classic Sicilian sweet and sour vegetarian antipasto or side dish.  Served as a pressed sandwich on Tuscan bread with fontina cheese, a caponata Panini is the perfect light summer meal.

Ingredients

Olive oil
2 nice large purple eggplants, cut into large chunks
1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and stems finely chopped
2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed, soaked,and drained
a handful of green olives, pits removed
2—3 tablespoons best-quality herb vinegar
5 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
optional: 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Serves 4

Directions

1.    Get yourself a large pan, pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil, and place on the heat. Add your eggplant chunks and oregano, season with a little salt, and toss around so the eggplant is evenly coated by the oil. Cook on a high heat for around 4 or 5 minutes, giving the pan a shake every now and then. (Depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook the eggplant in batches.)
2.    When the eggplants are nice and golden on each side, add the onion, garlic, and parsley stems and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Feel free to add a little more oil to the pan if you feel it’s getting too dry.
3.    Throw in the drained capers and the olives and drizzle over the herb vinegar. When all the vinegar has evaporated, add the tomatoes and simmer for around 15 minutes or until tender.
4.    Taste before serving and season if you need to with salt, pepper, and a little more vinegar. Drizzle with some good olive oil and serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley leaves and the almonds if you like.

Excerpted from JAMIE’S ITALY by Jamie Oliver. Copyright 2006 Jamie Oliver. All rights reserved. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold.

Today marks the end of National Grilled Cheese Month 2009, so we wanted to feature this recipe from the winner of the Artisanal Bistro contest. Here is what Eric Zawacki had to say about his creation;

“The sweetness and pepperiness of the Mostarda and Arugula cut the richness and stinkiness of the strong Taleggio. Once the Taleggio melts it gets extra gooey and accomponies the other flavors and crispy Peasent Bread perfectly.”

Hit the jump for the full recipe.

Sandwich

- 2 Slices Pane Rustica (Italian Peasant Bread) Cut 3/4 Inch Thick
- 1/4 Pound Taleggio Cheese, Rind Removed, Cut Into 1/4 inch Thick Slices
- Handful of Arugula
- 4 Heaping Tablespoons of Cherry Mostarda (Recipe Follows)
- Room Temperature Butter

Cherry Mostarda

- 3&1/2 Cups Sugar
- 3/4 Bottle Of Red Wine (Preferably Primitivo)
- 1/4 Cup Black Pepper
- 2 Quarts Pitted Red Cherries
- 1&1/2 Cups Stone Ground Mustard
- 1/4 Cup Tuffle Oil

Mostarda Procedure

- Combine Sugar, Wine, Mustard and Pepper In A Saucepan
- When Mixture Comes To A Boil, Lower Heat, Add Cherries And Truffle Oil
- Simmer, Stirring Occasionally Until Cherries Are Soft And Breaking Apart
- Cool To Room Temp

Sandwich Procedure

- Preheat Oven To 350 Degrees
- Cover One Slice Of Bread With Taleggio Cheese (Layering If Necessary)
- Top With Cherry Mostarda And Arugula
- Butter Other Slice Of Bread And Form Sandwich (Buttered Side Up)
- Add Tbspn Of Butter To Pan And Melt
- Place Sandwich (Buttered Side Down) In Pan, Butter Top Side Of Sandwich
- Cook Til First Side Is Golden Brown Then Flip
- Cook For 30 Seconds Then Place Pan In Oven
- Remove Once Cheese Is Melted And Gooey
- Cut In Half And Serve

So we may have jumped the seasonal gun on this one, but here’s a weekend recipe that screams summer. Can you blame us?

Tilapia pan-seared in ghee, with lemon, capers and Italian parsley, accompanied by peppery watercress and cool, creamy avocado, smothered with a cilantro-pecan pesto spread, all nestled between two crisply toasted slices of Tuscan bread. If you’re not familiar with ghee, it’s a clarified butter typically used in Indian cuisine, who’s unique flavor and texture make it a perfect pairing for pan-searing a light fish like tilapia. It’s available at Whole Foods and many health food stores due to its nutritional superiority to conventional butter. Sure, we know it just officially became spring- but you just wait for that first 70 degree night and whip this baby up. It’ll have you singing off-key Beach Boys tracks in no time.

Sandwich: (Serves 1) Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes
2 slices of Tuscan (or light fluffy bread) toast just before assembling
Lemony-ghee seared tilapia filet (recipe below)
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
handful of watercress
Cilantro-Pecan Pesto Spread (recipe below)

Prepare pesto spread, set aside. Slice avocado and wash watercress. Prepare tilapia per recipe below. Toast bread as soon as fish is nearing completion. Smother each slice of toast with pesto spread, layer watercress on one side, then tilapia, top with avocado slices, then lay top piece down. Eat warm. Enjoy!

Cilantro-Pecan Pesto Spread (makes about 3/4 cup, enough for 2-3 sandwiches)
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
big pinch sea salt

Blend cilantro, garlic and half of the olive oil in food processor until a rough paste forms. Add pecans and Parmesan, and add remaining olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Season with sea salt.

Tilapia:
1 tilapia filet
3 T Ghee per filet (clarified butter)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T capers
Handful of chopped Italian parsley
Cracked black pepper
Sea Salt

Heat ghee on medium-high until melted. Place tilapia in pan, and pan sear on one side for approximately 4 minutes. Flip tilapia and add lemon juice, capers and chopped parsley. Cook in lemony-ghee mixture until fish becomes opaque white instead of translucent. Should be less than 10 minutes total on medium-high. Finish with cracked black pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt.

**Tastes best when eaten outdoors.

A good turkey and avocado sandwich with a glass of white wine feels like a warm evening in California.  And with very little effort, you can turn up the volume on everyday turkey and create something really special.

The secret to a hearty, home style turkey sandwich is to buy roasted turkey from the prepared foods case, not the deli slicer (herb-roasted turkey breast at Whole Foods pictured).  Slice the turkey by hand in medium-sized pieces; the rustic cuts will give the sandwich a hearty texture.

Toast a good multigrain bread.  In a small bowl, combine:

-2 tbsp mayonnaise
-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp chipotle powder (to taste)

Combine thoroughly until the mayonnaise becomes a deep red paste.  Spread on toast. Add sliced avocado and tomato to give fresh and creamy pop to the thick cut turkey.

Weekend Recipe posts are intended to give you a delicious sandwich you can try on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

This low-fat vegetarian sandwich gives a satisfying crunch and bright freshness that pleases the mouth as well as the heart. The baked, breaded eggplant is crisp and satisfying. The sandwich is flavored with creamy hummus, verdant basil and spinach, and gentle kick of hot sauce, served on a soft fresh hoagie roll.

Ingredients

-1 Eggplant
-1/2 cup roasted red pepper
-1/2 cup baby spinach or arugula
-1/4 cup fresh basil
-2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
-2 eggs
-2 cups all purpose flour
-1/4 cup hummus
-dash hot sauce

Directions

With a sharp knife or mandoline, slice eggplant lengthwise into thin strips, approx 1/4″ wide. Set up a breading station of 3 plates: flour, then beaten eggs, then bread crumbs. Move the eggplant slices along the assembly line: a light dredge in flour, then a wipe with egg, then a coating of bread crumbs. Arrange breaded eggplant slices in a single layer on 1-2 baking sheets with some non-stick spray. Bake at 325 for 10-12 mins on each side, till golden-brown and crisp, but not burned.

Hollow out the center of a fresh hoagie roll. Spread a layer of hummus on the top and bottom, then add a few shakes of hot sauce (note: Sabra hummus and Frank’s Red Hot sauce featured here.) Place baby spinach or arugula along bottom bread, then pile 3-4 slices of eggplant, then a few slices of roasted red pepper. Top with a layer of fresh basil before closing the bread.

Weekend Recipe posts are intended to give you a delicious sandwich you can try on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

A meatball sandwich is on the Mount Rushmore of sandwiches. It is an iconic image of what defines a “sandwich”. The classic combination of meat, bread and sauce that is in many ways so simple, yet so nuanced. The sauce has to be just right. The bread has to be the very best. And of course, the meatballs have to be soft, tender and flaky to the bite.

In Philadelphia, we are fortunate enough to have a world-class Italian bread bakery in Sarcone’s. I also made a fresh pot of sauce using crushed and pureed tomatoes, opting for a smoother, silkier consistency than the chunky, rustic sauce I tend to prefer with pasta.

Ingredients

- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 large onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup natural bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1/2 cup basil
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano
- 3 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp black peper

Directions

1. Grate the onion and garlic and sautee in olive oil till translucent. Mince the herbs and combine all ingredients in large bowl. Form into balls about the size of a golf ball.

2. Place meatballs on a sheet pan in a 425 preheated oven for approx 4-5 minutes until balls are firm, but not fully cooked. Allow meatballs to cool for a few minutes and then gently add to pot of simmering sauce. Simmer sauce and meatballs together for at least 1 hour, longer is better.

3. When ready to serve, scoop the middle out of the bread to give room for meatballs and sauce. The sandwich should be stuffed to the point where every bite is meaty, but not overstuffed to the point that meatballs are falling out with every bite.