CIABATTA SANDWICH ON A RAINY DAY!

Cloudy cold days and Ciabatta sandwiches go hand in hand! Nothing beats eating a warm sandwich with soup on a dreary evening, watching Andaz Apna Apna or maybe Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander( two of my many favorites!).I have made a sandwich using a little butter, grilled veggies, pesto and mozarella...all healthy options in moderate quantities. Then I placed it on a grill( you don't have to have one, a griddle will do just fine), put somthing heavy on it....heavy can be really anything...few soup cans, a garden brick, pressure cooker!! ( see, there is always room for creativity!) Let me tell you how I made it first ...the recipe follows...

Ingredients

• 1 full Ciabatta - you can get it at a grocery store or at your favorite bakery
• Store bought Pesto ( Homemade is great too!)
• Unsalted butter
• Mozarella cheese
• 1 Onion cut in rings about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 Zuchini cut in 1/4 inch rings
• 10-12 Asparagus Spears
• 4 Oven roasted Yellow and Red Bell peppers( I used store bought)
• Pepper to taste

Method

• Brush a hot grill with little olive oil and arrange all your veggies on it.
• Grill approx. 3 mins. on each side for onions and about 2 mins. each side for asparagus and zuchini, or until you get grill marks on both sides and veggies become tender. Remove on a plate.
• Cut your Ciabatta through the middle using a sharp knife. Be careful not to slice it completely through.
• Spread butter on one side of the bread and pesto on the other.
• Cut mozarella into 1/4 inch slices.
• Arrange veggies and mozarella,season with pepper and put the flap side back on so that you have a filled sandwich.
• On the same grill/griddle, place the sandwich and press down with a heavy weight for about 5 mins. on each side or until heated through.
• Remove on a plate and cut into quarters for easy eating!

After toasting the ciabatta becomes nice and crunchy , the insides still nice and tender because of the butter and pesto. Hope you guys enjoy this recipe, coz I definitely do!