Stuffed picnic loaf with grilled vegetables and pesto

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ cup Olive oil
2 Garlic cloves; minced
1 large Eggplant
Peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 mediums Red bell peppers; quartered
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion
Sliced1/2 inch thick
1 Portobello mushrooms; up to 2
1 large Loaf Italian or French country bread
(1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs.)
½ cup Pesto; (recipe follows)
2 larges Vine-ripened tomatoes; sliced
5 ounces Provolone cheese; thinly sliced
1 cup Packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup Packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 Cloves garlic
¼ cup Pine nuts
⅓ cup Olive oil
3 tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper; to taste

Directions

PESTO

8 SERVINGS LACTO

This sandwich loaf can be assembled up to one day in advance and refrigerated in its foil wrapper. To serve, bring to room temperature or heat for about 30 minutes over low coals or in the oven, turning occasionally.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. In small bowl, combine oil and garlic. Brush mixture over eggplant slices, peppers, onion slices and mushrooms.

Grill vegetables, turning occasionally, until well browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from grill as they are done. Reduce temperature of grill by spreading out coals or by reducing flame on gas grill to low.

Slice bread in half lengthwise. Remove some of the interior of loaf to create a hollow space for stuffing vegetables. Brush inside of loaf with remaining oil and garlic, then spread with pesto. Layer half the provolone, then grilled vegetables, tomatoes and remaining provolone over bottom half of bread. Position top half of bread. Wrap entire loaf in foil.

Serve at room temperature, or if desired, place loaf on a low-heat spot on grill, away from direct heat, cover grill and bake until bread is lightly toasted and cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes. (Do not allow bread to scorch.) Unwrap the loaf, slice into wedges and serve hot.

PESTO: in food processor or blender, combine basil, cilantro, garlic and pine nuts and process until finely chopped. With motor running, slowly pour in oil and process until mixture forms a paste. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and pulse on/off to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

Recipe excerpted from The Vegetarian Grill, by Andrea Chesman, Copyright 1998, with permission from Harvard Common Press, 535 Albany St., Boston MA 02118.

PER SERVING: 461 CAL.; 14G PROT.; 22G TOTAL FAT (6G SATFAT); 41G CARB.; 17MG CHOL.; 660MG SOD.; 5G FIBER.

Converted by MC_Buster.

By Kathleen <schuller@...> on Feb 27, 1999.

Recipe by: Vegetarian Times, July 1998, page 42 Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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