Eggplant Aubergine Panini For Two Recipes

GRILLED EGGPLANT, ARUGULA AND MOZZARELLA PANINI

Steps:

• Brush eggplant slices with oil on both sides and place in a George Foreman grill--or panini grill-- cook 4 minutes, remove.
• Brush bread slices with oil.
• On 4 slices, oil side down, arrange eggplant, arugula, and mozzarella, top with 4 bread slices oil side up add 2 sandwiches to grill, close and cook 3-4 minutes.
• Repeat.
• Cut sandwiches on diagonal and serve.

GRILLED EGGPLANT PANINI

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.

EGGPLANT PANINIS

Steps:

• Preheat grill pan or Panini press. You can also use a George Forman grill.
• Melt butter and mix with olive oil.
• Peel eggplant and slice.
• Brush the eggplant slices with butter and oil mixture. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Grill eggplant on the grill pan until the eggplant is marked and just soft, about 4-6 minutes. Turn once.
• Remove from the grill.
• Mix worchestershire, basalmic vinegar, mayonnaise, garlic powder and mustard in a small bowl.
• Spread mixture on four slices of bread. Add sliced eggplant, add 1 T red onions, and a few chopped tomatoes to each sandwich ( you may use fresh tomatoes, if desired. Because this recipe was developed for a contest, canned tomatoes were used).
• Add chopped cilantro.
• Add 1 slice mozzarella to each sandwich.
• Top with remaining bread slices.
• Brush both sides of bread with olive oil and butter mixture.
• Grill until cheese melts and bread is crisp.
• Serve with marinara sauce or picante sauce, if desired.
• Slice into fourths for buffet table.