Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Roasted Tomato Aioli
By David Harbilas
Tomatoes obviously pair well with other vegetables, but few seem to think of using them in spreads.
The sweetness of roasted plum tomatoes adds depth to aioli, the Provencal garlic mayonnaise, making a boring vegetable sandwich something memorable.
The sauce also works well with grilled chicken and fish.
Makes about 2 cups of aioli
for the aioli:
- two plum tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 egg yolks
- about 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- about ¼ cup cold water
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper
- for the sandwiches:
- 1 eggplant, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 red onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 zucchini or summer squash, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 4 portobello mushrooms
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 large baguette or other good, crusty bread
To make the aioli, preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and lay on a sheet pan cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 3-4 hours, until tomatoes are slightly charred at edges but still juicy. Remove, cool, and chop roughly.
Place the egg yolks and garlic in a food processor with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. With the motor running add the vegetable oil in a thin stream, creating an emulsion. If the mixture begins to get thick too quickly (before you use most or all of the vegetable oil), add a tablespoon of water to thin it out. Once you’ve added all (or nearly all) of the oil, add the lemon juice and check the mayonnaise for seasoning. Remove to a bowl and add the chopped roasted tomatoes. The sauce will thin out considerably. Set aside.
Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Toss the vegetable in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetable slices until tender, about 3 minutes for all but the Portobello mushrooms, which, depending on their size, will take about 5 minutes total. Remove the vegetables and cool slightly. Build the sandwiches on the bread, spreading the aioli liberally on each sandwich.
