Grilled Vegetable Muffuletta Food

GRILLED VEGETABLE MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-heat. Lightly brush the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, portobello (read the description, maybe you have to slice it after it's grilled) and red onion with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and grill, turning once, until charred, about 6 minutes.
• Using a food processor, puree the spinach, pine nuts and parmigiano-reggiano; season with salt and pepper. With the machine one, drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Transfer the pesto to a bowl. Rinse the food processor.
• Using the food processor, pulse the giardiniera and olives into a coarse relish.
• Slice the top quarter off the bread and scoop out the insides. Spread half the pesto on the inside of the bread, layer with half of the grilled vegetables, then spoon the remaining pesto on top. Fill the bread with the remaining vegetables and top with the provolone. Spread the inside of the bread top with the vegetable relish and set into place. Press down firmly, then cut into wedges.

MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the oil, the carrot, celery, cauliflower, oregano, thyme and 3 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are somewhat tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a small bowl and stir in the olives, pimento and salt. Set aside to cool.
• When the olive-vegetable salad has cooled, stir in the parsley.
• Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Using your hands, scoop out the inside of each bread half to make a shallow pocket. Brush the inside of the top half with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Fill the bottom bread half with the olive-vegetable salad and pack it down with your hands. Layer the provolone, mortadella and soppressata over the salad (without letting any hang over the sides).
• Cover with the top bread half and tightly wrap the sandwich with plastic wrap. Place the sandwich on a cutting board or baking sheet and weigh it down with a heavy object, such as a cast-iron skillet, for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
• Remove the plastic wrap and cut the sandwich into fourths or sixths. Serve.

VEGETARIAN MUFFULETTAS WITH PICKLED ICEBERG

Steps:

• First, make the pickled iceberg:
• Place the vinegar, water, garlic, sugar, fennel seeds, oregano, pimentón, and salt in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir to dissolve the sugar and salt, and then turn off the heat.
• Working with 1 leaf at a time, place the lettuce into a large bowl and pour a little of the hot brine on each leaf as you layer them in the bowl. Pour any extra brine into the bowl. Let the mixture cool to room temperature (at this point you can cover the bowl in plastic and refrigerate it for up to a day). Once the brine cools, drain the iceberg (save the brine for another use or discard) and pat dry the leaves with a kitchen towel.
• Next, finish the sandwiches:
• While the lettuce is cooling down, stir together the olives, capers, and mayonnaise in a small bowl.
• Divide the olive mixture between the tops and bottoms of each roll. Layer each sandwich evenly with provolone, peppers, pickled iceberg, and mozzarella. Close each sandwich and wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap.
• Place a flat surface (like a cutting board or sheet pan) on top of the sandwiches and put something heavy on top (like a cast-iron skillet or a few cans of beans). Let the sandwiches sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature (or a day in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving).
• Unwrap the sandwiches, cut each in half, and serve.

MUFFULETTA GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• To make the focaccia, in a bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and rosemary. Add the water and canola oil and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough comes together in a rough, shaggy ball. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead for about 15 minutes, until smooth and elastic, then shape it into a ball.
• Oil a large bowl with canola oil, transfer the dough to the bowl, turn the dough to coat evenly with the oil, cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel, and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a 9 1/2- by 13-inch sheet pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
• Punch down the dough and transfer it to the prepared pan. Using your fingers, press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan. Let rise in a warm spot for an additional 20 minutes. Brush the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into 4 even squares.
• To make the carrots, put the carrots in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Pour over the carrots and let cool.
• To make the olives, in a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
• Split each focaccia square in half horizontally. Line up the 4 bottom halves, cut sides down, on a work surface. Top each half with 3 provolone slices, followed by one-fourth each of the olives, carrots, basil, tasso, and mozzarella. Close the sandwiches with the top halves of the focaccia squares, cut sides up.
• Line a large platter with paper towels. In a skillet over high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Turn down the heat to low and add 1 sandwich. Press down on the top of the sandwich with a spatula to flatten it so it cooks evenly, then cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp on both sides and the cheese is melted. Transfer to the prepared platter to blot the excess grease. Repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches.
• Cut the sandwiches in half, plate, and serve.

GRILLED RATATOUILLE MUFFALETTA

Steps:

• In a colander, toss eggplant with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse olives, pepperoncini, and parsley until very finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in mayonnaise.
• Heat a grill or grill pan to medium. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Toss eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini with oil and season with salt. Grill, turning frequently, until tender and slightly charred, about 4 minutes for tomatoes and about 7 minutes each for eggplant and zucchini.
• Spread bread with olive mixture. Assemble sandwich with peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

BEST GRILLED VEGETABLE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Combine zucchini, eggplant, and red bell pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle salt over the mixture. Set aside to allow the vegetables to tenderize, at least 3 hours.
• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Drain moisture from vegetable mixture. Brush vegetables with olive oil to coat; season with black pepper.
• Cook vegetables on hot grill until tender, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Toast cut sides of baguette in a toaster oven until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Spread basil pesto evenly over toasted surface. Arrange grilled vegetables evenly onto 2 of the baguette halves. Top each with sliced mozzarella and plum tomato slices; top sandwich with the remaining baguette pieces to serve.

GRILLED VEGETABLE MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Place garlic in ovenproof dish. Spray garlic with cooking spray. Cover with foil; bake 30 to 35 minutes or until garlic is very soft and golden brown.
• Place garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and black pepper in food processor; cover and process, using on-off pulses, until smooth. Set aside. Slice top from bread loaf. Hollow out loaf, leaving 1/2-inch-thick shell. (Reserve bread for another use, if desired.).
• Spray cold grid of grill with cooking spray. Prepare grill for direct grilling. Brush eggplant, squash, onion and bell pepper with garlic mixture. Arrange vegetables on grid over medium coals. Grill 10 to 12 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, turning once. Separate onion slices into rings.
• Layer half of eggplant, squash, onion, bell pepper, cheese and spinach in hollowed bread, pressing gently after each layer. Repeat layers with remaining vegetables, cheese and spinach. Replace bread top and serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Cut into wedges before serving.