What's For Dinner: Pan-grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash Sandwiches

I wasn't quite sure what to make for dinner, so decided to page through one of the (many) magazines in the house to find some inspiration. It didn't take too long to find a sandwich that caught my eye in the latest issue of Food & Wine magazine. I cut the original recipe in half (aside from the olivada) and opted to add in some yellow squash as well. We have a lot of olivada left over, but I'm thinking it will make a reappearance sometime later this week in a pasta dish . . . speaking of leftovers, I bought some fairly ginormous ciabatta rolls at Whole Foods, so each sandwich was enough for two servings. I'm definitely looking forward to having leftovers for lunch!

Pan-grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash Sandwiches (adapted from this Food & Wine recipe)

makes 2 sandwiches

For the olivada:

6 oz pitted green olives

3 garlic cloves, minced

t t lemon zest

freshly ground black pepper

fine sea salt

1/4 C olive oil

1. Add the olives, minced garlic, and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the olives are finely chopped. Add in the olive oil while holding down the "on" button. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Spoon into a small container and set aside.

For the dressing:

1/4 C olive oil

1 T red wine vinegar

1/8 t dried oregano

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, and oregano. Set aside.

For the grilled zucchini and yellow squash:

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1/4 C olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

fine sea salt

1. Use a mandolin or knife to slice the zucchini and yellow squash into 1/4" slices.

2. Put the slices into a large bowl. Toss the slices with the olive oil, pepper, and salt.

3. Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Place the slices in the skillet and grill for about five minutes, flipping once mid-way through cooking. The zucchini and yellow squash slices will be tender and slightly charred when they are done.

To put together the sandwiches:

olivada

dressing

grilled zucchini and yellow squash slices

fresh mozzarella, sliced

heirloom tomato, thinly sliced

1/2 C fresh basil leaves

1. Cut a ciabatta roll in half.

2. Spread a spoonful of olivada on each bread slice.

3. Add a small pile of zucchini and yellow squash slices on one bread slice. Drizzle a small amount of dressing on top of the zucchini and squash.

4. Top the zucchini and yellow squash slices with one mozzarella slice and one heirloom tomato slice.

5. Garnish with the fresh basil leaves and a little more of the dressing. Put the other half of the bread on top of the sandwich; cut diagonally into two pieces.

6. Serve with the sides of your choice; I served the sandwich along with a fresh tomato and mozzarella salad (and quite possibly a few sour cream and onion potato chips, too).