Panera Bread's Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwich
3 tablespoons olive oil or butter, plus extra for the bell pepper
1 large onion, sliced into 1/8-inch thick rings
1 pinch salt
1 pinch freshly cracked ground black pepper
1 pinch sugar
1 red bell pepper
3 tablespoons garlic-flavored hummus
2 slices sunflower seed bread (such as Panera Bread Sunflower Seed)
1 leaf romaine lettuce
3-4 slices vine-ripened tomato, 1/4 inch thick
4 slices cucumber, 1/8 inch thick
1 tablespoon feta cheese, crumbled
In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of oil.
Add onion and stir until it is thoroughly coated with oil. Add salt, black pepper
and sugar and continue to stir. Continue to stir until onion is soft and a deep
golden brown. Remove from heat and put aside 5 to 8 rings for the sandwich.
Reserve remaining caramelized onion for another use.
To roast the red pepper, preheat oven to broil. Lightly brush pepper with olive
oil and place on a pan under broiler 4 to 5 inches below heat source. Carefully
watch pepper and turn as each side begins to char slightly. Once pepper is fully
roasted (all sides have a flaky, charred appearance), remove it from oven,
place it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap and run pepper under cold water to cool.
Peel skin away from pepper.
Cut off top of pepper and remove all the seeds and membranes.
Slice pepper into strips, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.
To make the sandwich, spread the hummus in a thin layer over one side of
each bread slice to cover end to end. On top of one slice layer lettuce,
tomato, onion, cucumber and roasted pepper. Sprinkle with feta cheese evenly
across the top. Top with second bread slice and serve.
Source: The Birmingham News, March 27, 2009
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