• About
  • Write For Us
  • Contact
  • Top 50 Food Blogs
  • Cooking Resources
  • Forum

IndustryEats

  • Cooking Basics
  • Technique
  • Equipment
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Sandwiches
    • Pizza
    • Pasta
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Breads
    • Desserts
  • Interviews
You are here: Home / Sandwiches / Italian Pressed Eggplant, Red Pepper & Olive Tapenade Sandwich Recipe

Italian Pressed Eggplant, Red Pepper & Olive Tapenade Sandwich Recipe

June 2, 2018

Now this, my friends, is the big daddy of the sandwiches I’ll be making, or have made, this week. The others were good and I enjoyed them a lot, but they weren’t anything compared to the size and complexity of what I’ll share below. This is the one you’ll want to make.

Italian Pressed Eggplant, Red Pepper & Olive Tapenade Sandwich Recipe

The Recipe

This recipe comes in two parts. First is the olive tapenade and the second is the rest of the sandwich. The olive tapenade is a recipe unto itself, but I decided to just add it here. If I ever feel the need to separate it out later on, I’ll write another post for it. Regarding the sandwich, this thing is huge. It requires a full loaf of Italian bread, an entire eggplant, roasted red peppers, fresh chard, artichoke hearts and provolone. There are a few more ingredients, but I’ll list them below. I’d say the sandwich focuses on flavor nuances. There’s a lot of flavor in it and while many areas can stand on their own, they’re simply fantastic when combined.

Ingredients

Makes: 1 Full Loaf Sandwich (Serves 4)

For the Olive Tapenade

2 1/2 Cups Mixed Green, Black, Kalamata Olives
2 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Capers, Drained
2 Tablespoons Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil, Drained
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

For the Sandwich

1 Jar Roasted Red Peppers, Sliced
1 Large Eggplant
1 Large Loaf Italian Bread
3 Tablespoons Pepperoncini, Minced
1 Can Artichoke Heart Quarters, Drained
4 Large Chard Leaves, Trimmed From Stem
3 Slices Provolone Cheese
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Regular Olive Oil

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Vanilla and Bean for this recipe. They did a great job laying out the instructions and their post was chock full of really nice photos, so thank you!

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange one of your oven racks so it’s in the center position and the other one is above that. Then, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.


Prepare the Tapenade

Add all of the tapenade ingredients from above to a food processor.

Olive Tapenade Ingredients in Food Processor

Pulse the processor a few times to break down the ingredients. A word of warning here; the more you process the ingredients, the smoother your result will be. Since I wanted things to be more coarse, I only pulsed the processor about five times. You can make this any way you wish though. Here’s the result I got after processing.

Processed Olive Tapenade

When it’s finished, transfer the tapenade from the food processor to a medium sized bowl.

Olive Tapenade in Bowl

Set the bowl aside for later use.

Roast the Eggplant

Trim the ends from the eggplant. Then, cut it lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices. Add about one tablespoon of olive oil to a large baking sheet and spread that oil out liberally. Then, place each slice of eggplant on the tray. Finally, sprinkle some salt lightly across the surfaces of the eggplant and let them sit for 15 minutes.

Eggplant Slices on Baking Sheet

When the oven is warmed to temperature, place the baking sheet on the center rack for about ten minutes. Then, remove the tray from the oven, flip the eggplant slices and let them roast for another ten minutes. After the slices have softened and thinned slightly, remove the tray from the oven and turn off the heat.


Toast the Loaf

Cut the loaf of Italian bread lengthwise. Then, dig out a good portion of the white interior from both sides so the loaf is somewhat hollowed out. After that, place the pieces of bread on the top rack in the oven for about two minutes or so. Just long enough to give the bread some light crunch. You can do this while the eggplant is roasting. That’s why I suggested you keep both racks in the oven.

Assemble the Sandwich

Divide the tapenade between the two pieces of toasted bread and spread it out over both interior surfaces. Then, stack the ingredients on the bottom piece of bread in this order: half of the eggplant slices, artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper slices, the remaining eggplant, some salt and pepper to taste, the minced pepperoncini, the fresh chard and finally, the slices of provolone. When finished, place the top piece of bread over everything and press it down firmly with your hands.

Whole Italian Pressed Sandiwch

Slice the giant sandwich any way you’d like and serve. Enjoy!

The Final Eggplant & Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sandwich

I told you this one was a monster. We ate part of this last night for dinner and I have to tell you that I was quite pleased with myself. This is a good one that I’ll be making again in the future. If you decide to give this sandwich a try, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below. Thanks for reading!

Half Italian Eggplant Sandwich

Related posts:

  1. Portobello with Roasted Red Peppers & Artichoke Sandwich Recipe
  2. Roasted Zucchini, Goat Cheese & Olive Tapenade Sandwich Recipe
  3. Rustic Italian Eggplant with Roasted Red Peppers Sandwich Recipe
  4. Bell Pepper, Mozzarella & Olive Spread Open Sandwich Recipe
  5. Homemade Whole-Grain Olive Tapenade & Veggie Pizza Recipe

Filed Under: Sandwiches

What’s Next? Email Updates!

If you enjoyed reading this post, why not consider signing up to receive others like it by email? It's so easy and you can unsubscribe at any time.

About Jay Gaulard

My name is Jay Gaulard and I'm what I like to call an "inexperienced chef," if that's not an oxymoron. I initially decided to immerse myself into the world of food and cooking in May of 2015, when I began growing, in earnest, my first garden. The garden produced a wonderful yield and with some newfound confidence, my hobby of learning about what I eat took shape. Currently, I'm enrolled in an online cooking school and am quite active with the culinary community. I primarily write posts about what I research and learn along the way.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Connect With Me

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

RECEIVE MY POSTS BY EMAIL!

Interested in receiving my posts by email? This is your chance! Simply place your email address in the box below and I'll deliver each and every post I write directly to your inbox.

Copyright © 2021 · IndustryEats.com Food & Cooking Blog · About · Write For Us · Contact · Privacy / Terms · Sitemap