K’s Kitchen: A sandwich worthy of the barbecue

By Kathryn Reed

I have found a new favorite sandwich – and it’s perfect for summer.

It’s going to taste even better as tomatoes come into season. Either cherry or grape tomatoes will work. And various colors will just make it that much prettier. Red, though, will keep with the traditional caprese theme.

Ideally, grill the tomatoes in something with a solid bottom. Unfortunately my two grill devices have holes in them. Cleaning up the next day wasn’t hard, but it certainly wasn’t fun.

I used veganaise because that is what I had in the fridge.

The great thing about getting a baguette is that you can individualize the size of the sandwich. For one round of leftovers I used a tortilla. This dramatically cut down on the bread consumption, but it also eliminated the true sandwich aspect.

 Charred Caprese Sandwich

½ C mayonnaise

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 T fresh lemon juice

½ tsp finely grated lemon zest

Kosher salt

2 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings

4 garlic cloves, finely grated

3 T red wine vinegar

1 baguette, split in half and then cut into desired lengths

Olive oil

3 C cherry tomatoes

Freshly ground black pepper

1 C (packed) torn basil leaves

½ C (loosely packed) parsley leaves

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces

Mix mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and zest in a small bowl; season with salt.

Toss shallot, garlic, and vinegar in another small bowl; season with salt.

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Brush cut sides of bread with olive oil. Grill until lightly charred.

Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes. Barbecue tomatoes in cast iron skillet or other grill device until they are blistered and lightly charred. Stir so they cook evenly.

Add tomatoes to vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Then add basil and parsley; toss gently.

Spread both halves of bread with mayonnaise mixture. Top with tomatoes and pieces of mozzarella.