Portobello, Broccoli,and Red-Pepper Melts

This is another Martha Stewart recipe that I found while exploring her website the other day. Truly, this was a fantastic open-faced sandwich...one of the best that we've tried. Martha sure knows her food, that's for sure! If you dig a hearty, vegetarian sandwich this dish is for you.

In other news...

You'll be happy to know that the husband found the camera battery charger and plugged it in. Hooray! The good news doesn't stop there...I also remembered to take a photo of our dinner last night with my iphone. Eureka! Why didn't I think of that before??? I don't know. Thankfully, my normal camera should be up and running the next time I have to take a blog pic. In the meantime, try this recipe and enjoy my shaky iphone photography skills.

Portobello, Broccoli, and Red-Pepper Melts
From: Everyday Food, March 2008

Ingredients:
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets (stalk discarded)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 portobello mushrooms (stems removed), sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, crushed through a press
4 thick slices country bread (or 1 loaf of French bread, cut horizontally)
4 ounces Gouda cheese, thinly sliced (or Gruyere, if you like)

Directions:
Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, toss broccoli with oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing once or twice, until broccoli begins to char, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add mushrooms and bell peppers to sheet; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Broil, tossing once or twice, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Place bread on a work surface. Dividing evenly, spread with mayonnaise mixture, and top with vegetables, then cheese. Place on baking sheet, and broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.





The Result:
These were fantastic! Delicious and satisfying. I goofed and used Gruyere instead of Gouda cheese. Duh. Next time I should read the ingredients list a bit more carefully. Honestly, it didn't really matter; it was still an amazing veggie sandwich.

There were a lot of filling, so I decided to cut my French bread loaf in half horizontally, and hollow out (and discard) some of the bread in the middle. This allowed more room for the yummy, roasted veggies. I thought this would be more efficient than just doing the slices, and this method was reminiscent of the Eggplant Mozzarella Melts recipe that we LOVE. Then, when the cook time was over, I removed the long, loaf halves to a cutting board and just cut the portion sizes we needed (smaller pieces for the kids, etc.). It worked out perfectly, and now we have a new favorite Martha Stewart open-faced "melt" sandwich to make for dinner.