Category: Sandwiches

A friend was over for the weekend and we spent hours trying to decide what to make for dinner. We opened the refrigerator and cluelessly stood there staring at what we had but yet not being able to decide. We saw a whole bunch of fresh basil and tons of garlic, so thought we should make pesto. Then we thought we should make pesto pizza with goat cheese. We didn’t have any goat cheese on hand so we decided to make pesto and eggplant panini. Then we realized we didn’t have any bread for the panini on hand. So instead of running to the store and getting the missing ingredients, we challenged ourselves to make a delicious dinner out of the few things we had on hand. With some veggies, pesto, paneer cubes and tortillas, I thought of making paneer pesto wraps.

This wrap was a cross between Indian paneer tikka stuffed Kati Rolls and an Italian roasted eggplant panini. And then the friend suggested to spice up the wrap with some sriracha sauce… and that totally hit the spot!

For the Marinated Paneer
1 cup – sliced paneer (cottage cheese)
1 recipe – homemade pesto

For the Roasted Veggies
1 – green bell pepper/colored peppers, cut into thin strips
2 – zucchinis OR 1 medium – eggplant, sliced
3 cloves – garlic, sliced (optional)
2 teaspoons – olive oil
salt & black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon – fresh/dried rosemary

For the Caramalized Onions
1 tablespoon – olive oil
1 medium – onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon – sugar
salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon – fresh/dried rosemary

To Assemble the Wrap
8 – whole wheat tortillas
Marinated paneer
Roasted Veggies
Caramelized onions
Fresh mozzarella to your liking, sliced/any other kind of cheese that melts well
To serve – sriracha sauce (optional)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msemny0oous&w=560&h=315]

I made this avocado tartine for our Sunday lunch this afternoon. I was amazed at how well I replicated this dish after eating it twice at Le Pain Quotidien — once in New York City and once in Washington D.C., especially because the menu vaguely read 3 things “chickpeas, cucumbers and spicy tahini.” Now obviously, that didn’t help. But I put together a few things and the final product was no different from the one at Le Pain Quotidien.

A tartine is basically an open-faced sandwich, generally slathered with a rich spread; in this case, creamed avocados. This dish is pretty bland but I still find it flavorful in its own way.

For the avocado spread:
1 – ripe avocado
3 – spring onions, only the green part
1 tbsp – olive oil
1 tbsp – sour cream
salt and lemon juice to taste

1) Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the fleshy bit.
2) Tip it into a blender along with the spring onions, olive oil, sour cream, salt and lemon juice.
3) Blend until it’s a smooth, spreadable paste. Chill it in the fridge while you prepare everything else.

For the spicy tahini:
2 tbsp – tahini
1 tbsp – chili olive oil
salt and lemon juice to taste

1) Mix it all together. Add in a few drops of water if it’s too thick.

6 slices – multigrain bread
1 can – chickpeas, drained and washed
1 handful – organic spring mix (baby lettuces, spinach, arugula, red swiss chard etc.)
chopped spring onions
slices of cantaloupe and cucumber

1) Toast the bread slices.
2) Slather with the avocado spread.
3) Top with the chickpeas.
4) Set the tartines on a plate with the mix greens, cantaloupe and cucumber slices.
5) Drizzle the spicy tahini all over and serve immediately.

It’s mid-March and it’s spring break time. I’ve been waiting for the weather to get warmer but wintry Baltimore can never be in favor of my cold-bearing disability. Everyone is out of town and my mother and I are spending the week alone.

My friend Dharti came over yesterday afternoon to spend the night with us. I decided to make my all time favorite caprese panini for dinner but then I remembered Dharti’s dislike towards extra cheesy dishes. So I decided to make my masi’s roasted eggplant panini with an addition of my favorite caramelized onions and some homemade pesto.

Just now, my mother suggested to go for a walk to the harbor. But the cold made me deny and I chose to stay warm and blog this recipe instead.

Roasted Eggplant Panini
adapted from masi and myself

8 – panini bread rolls
16 slices – buffalo mozzarella
8 tbsp – homemade pesto

For the Veggie Filling
1 – eggplant
1 – zucchini
1 – green/red/yellow bell pepper
1 whole bulb – garlic
1 firm – tomato, completely deseeded
4 tbsp – olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

1) Wash all the veggies and slice them thinly.
2) Peel the garlic and leave the cloves whole.
3) Lay everything out on greased baking sheets and drizzle some oil on them. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
4) Bake them for 10-15 minutes in an oven preheated to 250 degree C/450 degree F.
5) Mash up the garlic (it’ll be soft) with a fork.

For the Caramalized Onions
1 medium – onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp (heaped) – sugar
1 tsp – dried italian herbs
1 tbsp – olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

1) Heat up the oil in a pan.
2) Tip in the onions and saute them for a few minutes.
3) Season with herbs, salt and pepper and cook till they are lightly brown and caramelized.

To Assemble
1) Heat up a panini grill or a sandwich press.
2) Cut up the bread rolls in half horizontally.
3) Spread a tablespoon of pesto on the bread. Evenly spread out the veggies and the caramelized onions. Lay out 2 slices of mozzarella and sandwich together. Press gently. Brush the tops with some olive oil and grill them until they are golden brown and crispy.