Mediterranean Roasted Eggplant and Onion Sandwich – Recipe!

A Mediterranean Roasted Eggplant and Onion Sandwich is what’s on the menu today – sweet, creamy, earthy and crunchy all packed into each and every bite.

Roasting vegetables, especially eggplant and onions, creates delicious flavors.  They become sweet with rustic notes of the earth and when piled high on a crusty baguette – most delightful.  Eggplant is one of those vegetables that really packs a punch on taste and can make the most decadent substitute for meat.  Browning eggplant in a hot oven isn’t difficult to do and only requires a couple of steps to create such hardy taste.  Sprinkling eggplant slices with salt and letting them rest brings out the moisture in eggplant and allows easier roasting, which means deeper flavors.  I brushed the salt off the slices with a paper towel before they went into a hot oven and really became the star of the sandwich.

Sliced onions and a head of garlic are the other delightful culprits in this meal.  Onions become tender and sweet and the garlic head is super squeezable, and can be dolloped over the entire length of bread after roasting.  Store-bought hummus or homemade makes a great spread, so that the eggplant and onions adhere to the bread.  It’s still going to be one slightly messy experience, but definitely worth it.  Fresh mixed greens are a necessity to make this sandwich complete because they bring brightness and a spring-like finish.

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant, sliced

1 white onion, sliced

1 head garlic

1 large baguette or 2 small

1/2 cup hummus

2 cups mixed spring greens or lettuce

olive oil for drizzling

salt and pepper

(Serves 4)

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place half of eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.  Place over half on top and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.  Let rest for 15 minutes.  Brush eggplant slices with paper towel to remove excess salt.
2. On a sheet pan drizzled with 1 tablespoon olive oil, place eggplant slices.  Drizzle tops with 1 tablespoon olive oil and top with sliced onions, drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Place garlic head in a piece of foil drizzle top with olive oil and close.  Place on sheet pan with eggplant and onions.
4. Roast for 25-30 minutes, making sure eggplant and onions don’t get too dark.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Remove head of garlic from foil to cool.
5. Toast baguette or baguettes in oven for 5 minutes and slice in half.  Spread with hummus on both sides of bread and top with eggplant slices on one side.  Sprinkle roasted onions on top of eggplant and squeeze garlic head to release roasted cloves over top of onions.  Top with mixed greens and top with other half of bread.
6. Slice in half or into quarters, depending upon size of baguette.  Enjoy!