Grilled Vegetable Pressed Sandwich Bites

Flavorful grilled vegetable pressed sandwiches with chèvre and fresh herbs, layered on focaccia, chilled and cut into bite-sized portions for a delicious, elegant appetizer.

Recipe Information

Total Time:

Yield:

8 servings

Ingredients

8 mini sweet bell peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 small yellow summer squash, sliced ⅛ inch thick

1 small zucchini, sliced ⅛ inch thick

1 small red onion, sliced ⅛ inch thick

9 asparagus spears, trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

2 (4-ounce) package plain chèvre (fresh goat cheese), room temperature

¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1 (12-inch-square) loaf bakery focaccia bread, ¾ to 1 inch thick

¼ cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

½ cup microgreens

Directions

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat (375°F).
In a large grill basket, combine bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, red onion and asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Grill vegetables for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp-tender and slightly charred, turning occasionally. Remove vegetables from grill; cool.
In a small bowl, stir together chèvre, ¼ cup finely chopped basil, chives and oregano; set aside.
Split focaccia bread horizontally in half. Spread cut sides of bread with chèvre mixture. On the bottom half of bread, layer grilled vegetables and ¼ cup basil leaves. Top with remaining bread half, chèvre side down.
Wrap stuffed bread loaf with plastic wrap; place in a large rimmed baking pan. Place a large cast-iron skillet on top of loaf to press the stuffed bread loaf. Refrigerate, with skillet on top, for 6 hours or overnight.
To serve, remove loaf from refrigerator; unwrap. Remove top half from loaf and add microgreens. Replace top half and, if desired, trim edges. Cut loaf into 8 (4×2-inch) sandwiches. Wrap each sandwich with a 1½-inch-wide strip of white parchment paper and kitchen string or bakers’ twine.