A Ridiculously Delicious Sandwich

Whenever I'm out and about, I love to search for a toasted veggie focaccia, or something with a Mediterranean flair. There's something comforting about a hot sandwich jam packed with vegetables and a little bit of cheese.

I used an olive scroll as the bread for this super awesome sandwich, because kalamata olives just go amazingly with roasted peppers, feta cheese, and spinach. Speaking of olives, there's people that don't like them, which really befuddles me, because c'mon, they're so delicious! How can you not like them?

If you can't find olive scrolls, use olive buns instead, especially ones made from sourdough for a more rustic flavour. Better yet, bake some olive bread from scratch, and make the sandwiches as soon as they come out of the oven. Yum! Tip: dry the olives with a few paper towels first, and then tip them into a bowl. Toss some flour into the olives to coat them. This helps the olives to adhere to the dough without popping out and frustrating you because they. just. won't. stay. in! I have my baking teacher to thank for this tip.

I prefer to buy the capsicum and eggplant already roasted/grilled in jars, preserved in oil, not vinaigrettes. Vinegar, for some reason, irritates my gums and inner lips, so I prefer to stay away from them as a whole, though I don't mind a little bit of balsamic vinegar on an occasional basis. You can roast/grill them yourself, but I find them to not be as cost effective, and it takes up more time than I would like to afford on sandwiches, which should be quick and effortless.

This would pair really nicely with some hummus, pesto, or aioli. Instead of feta, you can use goat cheese instead. You can substitute the white button mushrooms for portobello mushrooms, if that's what you prefer. For a vegan version, just go with an olive bun, and either skip or replace the cheese with a vegan version.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 5mm thin slice of pumpkin, either kent or butternut
1 roasted capsicum
1 grilled eggplant
2 white button mushrooms, sliced
1 olive and cheese scroll
A handful of fresh rocket, also known as arugula, washed and dried
20g feta cheese, sliced. I prefer Lemnos Smooth Fetta Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Firstly, put a small frying pan on medium-low heat, and wait until the pan is hot before adding 1 teaspoon of the oil. This prevents food from sticking to the pan. Let the oil heat up for a few seconds before adding the pumpkin. Fry until it has become crispy and slightly charred. Turn and do the same for the other side
2. Meanwhile, cut the capsicum so that it is open like a butterfly. Drain the capsicum and eggplant on a few paper towels to get rid of excess oil. Set aside.
3. When the pumpkin has finished cooking, remove the pumpkin from the pan, set aside, and add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the mushrooms and fry until crispy and golden brown.
4. Cut the scroll in half crosswise, and with the bottom portion, top with rocket, pumpkin, capsicum, eggplant, mushrooms and then the feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Replace the top portion.
5. If you like toasted sandwiches, preheat your sandwich press, and once hot, toast your sandwich to your preference. My sandwich press has a lever that lets me control the height of the press, so that it doesn't flatten my sandwich into a pancake. If your press doesn't have this feature, lift the handle while toasting. Alternatively, use the grill on your stove on low heat, and keep an eye on the sandwich so that it doesn't burn.

Follow