Grilled Veggie Hero w. Roasted Garlic Spread

Show: Revolutionary Taste

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Recipe from Sherri Brooks Vinton and Anne Clark Espuelas, The Real Food Revival, Jeremy Tarcher/Penguin, 2005.

This sandwich is great for using up some of the bounty from the farmers' market. The hours that it spends wrapped in plastic make this a terrific dish for entertaining or to take on a picnic.

1 head garlic

Olive oil for drizzling and brushing

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 portobello mushrooms caps

2 to 3 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into third

1 Vidalia or red onion, thickly sliced crosswise

2 red peppers, cut in half, stems, ribs, and seeds removed

One 7-ounce log goat cheese

2 tablespoons whole milk or sour cream

1 loaf rustic bread such as ciabatta

1 tomato, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 bunch arugula or 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cut off the top quarter of the garlic head to expose the cloves. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Place on a cookie sheet and bake until soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Preheat the broiler. Brush the mushroom caps, zucchini or squash, onion, and peppers with oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the element until tender, about 10 minutes, turning once. Set aside to cool.

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skin into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Ad the goat cheese, milk or sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste, continuing to mash well with a fork until blended.

Cut the bread in half and open it like a books. Spread both sides of the bread with the goat cheese mixture. Slice the roasted vegetables into strips and layer them on one side of bread. Top the vegetables with tomato slices. Drizzle with vinegar. Top with arugula or spinach and replace the top half of the bread to make a sandwich. Press the length of the sandwich firmly with the palm of your hand to compress it slightly. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and press under a weight (2 cans of tomatoes on top of a cutting board works well) for 2 to 3 hours to combine the flavors and improved the sandwich texture. Cut into portions and serve.

Serve 6 as part of a picnic buffet

Note: The vegetables can be grilled a day ahead and the roasted garlic spread can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.