Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

So I am certain that summer is long gone and all of the summer vegetables and fruits are about gone from the market too. But before it is too late, go pick up some eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers and make some grilled vegetable sandwiches. And if those aren't enough of a temptation, make up a quick olive tapenade for the sandwiches and then you really have a special meal.

I adore these, but I have standards you must uphold if you are going to use my recipe. Do not, I repeat, please do not use cheap black olives to make a tapenade or you will have a cheap and shoddy olive spread without a lot of flavor. Look for olives in jars not cans (just as a general rule of thumb, I know there are a few exceptions).

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

3-4 vegetables of your choice: eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, bell peppers and/or red onions

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 c. olive oil

sea salt and pepper

1 loaf of good quality cibatta bread or other crusty Italian or French bread (rosemary bread is excellent here if you can find or make it)

Combine olive oil and garlic in a small bowl.

Slice the vegetables into long pieces, 1/2 inch thick.Brush the vegetables with garlic olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill in a grill pan, or indoor or outdoor grill.

While grilling or ahead of time prepare your tapenade:

Tapenade

1 cup of mixed good quality olives (nicoise, kalamata, Spanish, etc.)

2 T. capers, rinsed

Splash of lemon juice and olive oil

1 clove of garlic

optional additions include:

artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and additional seasonings

Pulse all ingredients together in the food processor or mince by hand.

Spread the tapenade on the slices of bread according to taste, add vegetables and enjoy.