We all have these days when we’re tired, it’s 5 o’clock and we’re
at the store, and we don’t have a clue what we want to make for dinner, but we
don’t want to go out, nor get take-out.
Yes, (gasp) this happens even food bloggers!
I use jarred caponata for the base of the sandwich. Caponata is eggplant in a thick rich tomato sauce with olives and caper.
A good loaf of bread is key! I like to toast it under the broiler after it’s been doused in extra virgin olive oil.
Many super markets sell meatballs in their meat case and
then I just cook them in a hot oven.
Now I would have put both meatballs and roasted broccoli on Billy’s
sandwich, but I only had a little broccoli left in my refrigerator, so I kept
it all for myself!
I was just in the mood for lots of melty cheese, so I used
fresh mozzarella; if I were trying to better behaved, I might have just topped
the sandwiches with some shaved Pecorino Romano, which has a lot of flavor, so a
little goes a long way.
I wasn’t in the mood to make a salad either, so I put the
salad on the sandwiches…two birds with one stone!
These Meatball and/or Roasted Broccoli & Caponata
Sandwiches are ooey gooey, rich, and oh so comforting! They feel naughty because of the cheese, but
the veggies make them more sensible.
It took minimal effort to make these sammies, but they were
made with lots of love!
MEATBALL and/or
ROASTED BROCCOLI & CAPONATA SANDWICHES
Serve 2
½ loaf Fresh Ciabatta bread
1 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup Jarred Caponata
12 oz. Cooked meatballs, cut in half (about 4
slightly bigger than golf ball sized meatballs)
1 recipe Roasted broccoli florets (recipe follows)
4 thick slices Fresh
mozzarella (regular is also fine, it will just take a bit longer to melt)
2 hands full Baby kale, spinach or arugula
1. Pre-heat the
broiler.
2. Slice the Ciabatta
bread open, place it on a sheet pan, and drizzle both sides with a good amount
of olive oil. Place under the broiler
just until it is golden brown.
3. Remove the top
half of the bread from the pan, put it to the side. On the bottom half of the bread spread the
caponata in an even layer, place the halved meatballs and/or roasted broccoli
evenly over the caponata, top with the slices of mozzarella, and place back
under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
4. Top the hot bottom
half of the sandwich with the greens and the top half of the bread. Cut into the desired portion size.
FOR THE ROASTED BROCCOLI
2 heaping cups Broccoli
florets; cut quite small
1 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning
Salt
& pepper to taste
1. Pre-heat oven to
400 degrees.
2. In a shallow
baking dish toss together all of the ingredients. Roast in the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes
until the broccoli is tender as has a little carmelization.
