By Jeff Walker
Features Editor
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The sun was shining down in a way it hadn’t in a while across my backyard over the weekend. Busily cleaning out ashes from my grill, which hadn’t been touched in weeks, I knew it would getting some use very soon.
At that point, I couldn’t help but crack open a quick smile.
This Sunday will mark the start of a vibrant and exciting time here in Central Texas: The official beginning of spring.
Whether this means returning to your garden, or lighting up the barbecue pit on sunny afternoons, meals are moving more and more outdoors as we enter the middle of March. It’s a rebirth of warm days and wildflowers: Vibrant shades of green and yellow and blue. Time for an outdoor barbecue. Or better yet, a picnic along the river.
When it comes to sandwiches, look past sliced bread and consider a French baguette. And leave behind the meat and opt for a sandwich stuffed with veggies: everything from roasted tomatoes to zucchini to the very “springy” arugula.
Top everything off with a lime or lemon vinaigrette and a generous helping of goat cheese. Spring has never tasted better.
Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Sandwich
• Salt
• 4 bell peppers of assorted colors
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 medium red onions
• 1 large zucchini, cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1 large yellow squash, cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces goat cheese
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1 loaf French baguette
• Lemon vinaigrette dressing (recipe follows)
Heat grill. Core tomatoes. Brush all sides of the peppers with some of the olive oil. Grill the peppers, turning them occasionally, until they are blistered and lightly charred on all sides. Place them in a bowl, cover it tightly with a lid (or plastic wrap), and set it aside to steam while you grill the remaining vegetables.
Cut the onions into 1/2 inch-thick rounds, and then insert toothpicks horizontally through the slices to hold them together on the grill. Brush both sides of the zucchini, squash and red onion slices with the remaining olive oil and place them on a large baking sheet or platter.
Season with kosher salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables, in batches if necessary, until they are lightly charred on the edges and nicely marked on both sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the grilled vegetables to a platter and set aside.
Slide the skins off the peppers, and discard the cores and seeds. The peppers should separate into wide strips.
Add them to the platter with the other vegetables.
In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, garlic and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
Assemble a sandwich by drizzling some of the vinaigrette over one side of a slice of bread and generously spreading some of the goat cheese mixture over one side of a second slice. Arrange an assortment of grilled vegetables over the vinaigrette-coated slice.
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leave
Gently stir the first five ingredients together, do not emulsify. Just before serving, add the freshtThyme leaves.
