Eggplant grilled cheese with cherry tomatoes, zaatar, tahini and Yemenite hot sauce

Name: Eggplant grilled cheese with cherry tomatoes, zaatar, tahini and Yemenite hot sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: ⅓ cup olive oil; 1 small eggplant; 1 pint cherry tomatoes; 2 slices of jarlsberg cheese per grilled cheese sandwich; 1 tablespoon zaatar; 2 slices of your favourite bread per grilled cheese sandwich; 2-3 Jalapeno peppers; ⅓ cup diced cilantro; 3 garlic cloves; 1 teaspoon cumin; pinch of cardamom; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon of black pepper; 4 tablespoon tahini paste; 2 tablespoon water; ¼ lemon; salt & pepper

User Reviews

5.0

57 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings
4 people
Calories
350 kcal
Course
Main Course, Lunch
Cuisine
Middle Eastern, Israeli

Eggplant grilled cheese with cherry tomatoes, zaatar, tahini and Yemenite hot sauce

Ethan Patterson

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The Middle Eastern grilled cheese is filled with oozing Jarlsberg cheese, melted over slices of grilled eggplant, cherry tomatoes and slathered in Yemenite green hot sauce and tahini.Make this a gluten-free grilled cheese by using gluten-free bread. My favourites include Little Northern Bakehouse Honey Oat bread, or Promise Gluten-Free Rustic Sourdough Bread.

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Ingredients

Servings

⅓ cup olive oil
1 small eggplant
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 slices of jarlsberg cheese per grilled cheese sandwich
1 tablespoon zaatar
2 slices of your favourite bread per grilled cheese sandwich gluten-free bread works great!

Yemenite hot sauce (schug):

2-3 Jalapeno peppers
⅓ cup diced cilantro
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch of cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper

Tahini sauce:

4 tablespoon tahini paste
2 tablespoon water
¼ lemon juice of
salt & pepper to taste

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Instructions

Grill eggplant slices:

Slice eggplant into rounds or slices (depending on the size of your bread).
Bring a non-stick pan to medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons of oil. Arrange as many eggplant slices as a you can fit in a single layer, without overlapping, in the pan. Fry eggplant until both sides are browned, flipping in the middle, about 8-10 minutes in total. Remove eggplant slices onto a paper towel-covered plate, and sprinkle with salt.
Repeat until all eggplant slices are cooked, adding 2-3 tablespoons of oil with every batch.

Prepare tahini sauce

In a blender or a jar, mix raw tahini with water, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir, shake or blend well to combine. You should end up with a slightly runny, thick tahini sauce.

Make Yemenite hot sauce (schug)

Put all the schug ingredients in a food processor with a steel blade and process to a smooth mash. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Assemble Middle Eastern grilled cheese

On one piece of bread, spread a generous layer of tahini. Lay one slice of Jarlsberg cheese. Top with a few rounds or slices of grilled eggplant, a few halves of cherry tomatoes, and a sprinkling of zaatar spice. Top with another slice or two of Jarlsberg cheese.
Smear the next slice of bread with some Yemenite hot sauce. Top the sandwich with the second slice of bread, and press to seal.

Cook the Middle Eastern grilled cheese sandwich:

Smear bread with butter or olive oil on both sides. Cook in a panini press or in the same hot pan you cooked the eggplant, about 3-4 minutes per side, until the Jarlsberg cheese is melted and gooey. If cooking in a pan, try to weigh down the grilled cheese with a plate or lid or just press down with a spatula.
Serve eggplant grilled cheese immediately with additional Yemenite hot sauce and tahini for dipping. Mixing the tahini and Yemenite hot sauce also works really well!

Equipments used:

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 350kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 25g (8%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 1mg (0%) Sodium 681mg (28%) Potassium 678mg (19%) Fiber 7g (28%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 832IU (17%) Vitamin C 44mg (49%) Calcium 100mg (10%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 350 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	350kcal	18%
Carbohydrates	25g	8%
Protein	7g	14%
Fat	27g	42%
Saturated Fat	4g	20%
Trans Fat	1g	50%
Cholesterol	1mg	0%
Sodium	681mg	28%
Potassium	678mg	14%
Fiber	7g	28%
Sugar	8g	16%
Vitamin A	832IU	17%
Vitamin C	44mg	49%
Calcium	100mg	10%
Iron	4mg	22%