Grilled aubergine & romesco sandwiches

A stand-out sandwich featuring golden aubergine and homemade romesco – a sharp, Spanish-inspired roast pepper sauce. Focaccia is the ideal base, but sourdough or ciabatta work well too.

Ingreadient

• 2 aubergines, cut into 4-5cm strips
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove/s garlic, crushed
• ½ x 25g pack at leaf parsley, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
• 200g roasted red peppers (drained weight), plus 1 tbsp brine from the jar
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar
• 80g almonds (skin-on)
• 3 Waitrose 2 Rosemary & Rock Salt Focaccia
• 3 small handful rocket (about 30g)

Step by step

1. Heat the grill to high. Brush the aubergines with 2 tbsp oil and arrange on a large baking tray. Grill until tender and golden on both sides (15-20 minutes, turning halfway). In an airtight container, mix together the garlic, chopped parsley stalks and 1 tbsp oil, then add the grilled aubergine and turn to coat; seal and chill until needed.
2. Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. For the romesco sauce, put the peppers, brine, vinegar, almonds and the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a food processor. Pulse to purée, leaving the almonds slightly coarse (store in the fridge in an airtight container if not using straight away). Heat the focaccia according to pack instructions.
3. To assemble, cut the focaccia horizontally in half. Spread each base generously with the romesco sauce, layer over strips of aubergine and top with plenty of parsley leaves and rocket. Add a little more romesco sauce to the underside of the top piece of bread. Close the sandwiches and enjoy.