Open Faced Eggplant And Gorgonzola Grilled Cheese Recipes

OPEN-FACED TOMATO GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. Combine the olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush the cut sides of the baguette with some of the flavored oil. Grill cut-side down until toasted, about 4 minutes.
• Rub the grilled sides of the baguette with the garlic. Top with the tomato slices, season with salt and cover with the provolone. Grill, covered, until the cheese melts, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining flavored oil and season with salt. Cut into pieces.

OPEN-FACED EGGPLANT AND GORGONZOLA GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place eggplants in a colander set over a bowl; toss with salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse well, and let drain. Press to remove excess liquid.
• Arrange eggplants in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1/4 cup oil; season with pepper. Bake until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Preheat broiler. Melt butter with remaining tablespoon oil. Brush over cut sides of bread. Broil until top edges are just golden. Arrange eggplant in a single layer over bread. Top with cheese. Place on baking sheet; broil until cheese has melted and is bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH MOZZARELLA CHEESE

Steps:

• Cut the stems off the eggplants. Slice each eggplant lengthwise into four even pieces. Rub some of the olive oil over the slices and season well with salt and pepper.
• Lay tomato slices over six of the eggplant slices. Place basil leaves over the tomatoes. Lay mozzarella slices over the basil leaves. Coat with remaining olive oil and make sandwiches with the remaining eggplant slices. Wrap well in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Place the eggplants over the grill and cook for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally, or until the eggplants are cooked thoroughly and the cheese is melted.

OPEN-FACE GRILLED EGGPLANT SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Light a grill. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and grill over high heat until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a platter.
• Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat until charred on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and grill until tender, about 3 minutes longer.
• Top the eggplant with the tomato, mozzarella and basil. Cover the grill and cook until the cheese melts, 2 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to the bread, sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

EGGPLANT AND SMOKED-GOUDA OPEN-FACED GRILLED SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Prepare grill for cooking over direct heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas); see Grilling Procedureepi:recipelink.
• While grill is heating, stir together tomatoes, parsley, 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
• With a cheese plane or vegetable peeler, shave half of cheese into thin slices (if using mozzarella, thinly slice half of it with a knife) and cover slices with plastic wrap, reserving remaining piece for another use.
• Brush bread on both sides with 1 tablespoon oil per slice.
• Trim off top and bottom of each eggplant, then cut 2 (1-inch-thick) slices lengthwise from center of each eggplant, discarding remainder. Brush cut sides with 3 tablespoons oil (total) and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Lightly oil grill rack, then grill eggplant slices (covered only if using a gas grill), loosening with a metal spatula and turning occasionally to avoid overbrowning, until very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. While eggplant is grilling, grill bread, turning over once, until grill marks form, 1 to 2 minutes total, and transfer to a large platter.
• Transfer eggplant to platter, then top evenly with sliced cheese and return to grill and cook, covered for charcoal or gas, without turning, until cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute. Transfer eggplant with spatula to platter.
• Transfer grilled bread to 4 plates and spoon tomato mixture on top. Drizzle evenly with remaining tablespoon oil and top with eggplant. Season with pepper to taste.

EGGPLANT SANDWICHES WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• If desired, trim off and discard the skin of each eggplant round. Place each round on a flat surface and hold a knife parallel to the surface. Cut each round in half, splitting each sandwichlike almost but not through to the end. Leave a small hinge at one end of each round. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper.
• Drop the spinach into a small quantity of boiling water. Stir and let return to the boil. Drain quickly and run under cold water. Drain thoroughly, pressing to extract excess moisture. Chop the spinach.
• Fill each sandwich with a thin slice of cheese and top each piece of cheese with a portion of the chopped spinach. Close each sandwich.
• Dip each sandwich in flour and shake off excess. Beat the egg with the water and dredge each sandwich, bottom and sides, in the mixture. Dredge each sandwich, bottom and sides, in bread crumbs to coat thoroughly. Shake off excess.
• Fill a heavy skillet with oil to a depth of about half an inch. Heat until the temperature on a fat thermometer is about 375 degrees. Add the sandwiches in one layer and let cook, turning occasionally, about three minutes or until each round is golden brown and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper towels. Serve, if desired, with tomato sauce or garlic, oil and anchovy sauce.