Grilled Eggplant Panini With Basil Aioli Recipes

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:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Brush eggplant lightly with olive oil on both sides. Stir together remaining olive oil, garlic, and salt in a small bowl.
• Arrange eggplant slices on the preheated grill and cook, turning occasionally, until tender and browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Arrange grilled eggplant on a platter. Brush with the olive oil and garlic mixture until eggplant has absorbed the oil. Sprinkle with the chopped basil and parsley and serve.

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:

• 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:

• In a large skillet, saute onions in oil until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until deep golden brown., Layer the cheese, ham, tomato, pickles and caramelized onions on four bread slices; top with remaining bread. Spread outsides of sandwiches with butter., Cook on a panini maker or indoor grill for 3-4 minutes or until bread is browned and cheese is melted.