With capsicum being really reasonable at the moment, courgettes in season and aubergines not outrageously priced I am reminded of a recipe that is absolutely stunning as a brunch, picnic or lunch centrepiece, it incorporates all the flavours I adore, olives, olive oil, mozarella, basil, red onions and all those Italian country cooking flavours.

This is a special occasion loaf, the ingredients are worth a small king's ransom (or a king's small ransom)

I copied this recipe from a magazine about 25 years ago and have carried the food stained, opaque purple felt tip penned recipe with me without losing it all this time. There isn't often a summer that passes when I don't make this - the exception being my Fijian sojourn when Mediterranean ingredients were thin on the ground.....I can't give due credit for this recipe - but whoever invented it deserves a sainthood in my eyes, and I do whisper a silent prayer of thanks each time I am putting this together.......

N.B. Start the day before the day before

Panino

5 courgettes
17 tbsp EVO
5 red peppers
5 yellow peppers
1 large aubergine
1 round country style loaf (not wholemeal?)
2 garlic cloves
8 tbsp olive paste (tapenade)
Handful fresh basil
6 sun-dried tomatoes
1 big red onion
2 tbsp balsamico
700g mozzarella (could use feta-but might be too salty - but cheaper!)
225 g spinach
125g black olives pitted

Slice courgettes lengthways into .5cm strips, sprinkle with 1 tbsp oil, grill under low heat till slightly brown – Set Aside

Halve and de-seed peppers (red and yellow), grill on low heat until skin blisters, remove skins (gladw**p over bowl) Drizzle 8 tbsp oil over and leave in fridge

TAKE NOTE: for ONE day.

Slice and prepare aubergine same as courgettes. Set aside, slice the top off the loaf and hollow out so walls are 2cm thick, rub inside w garlic. Sprinkle 6 tbsp oil over the inside.

Smear 6 tbsp olive paste over the bottom of the loaf, add a layer of courgettes, red peppers, basil tomatoes onion and vinegar, and half mozzarella,

Roughly chop the spinach, removing stems, heat 1 tbsp oil so hot, add spinach, stir 1 minute til leaves soften, then spoon into loaf, add the aubergines, olives, yellow peppers and remaining mozzarella in separate layers, pushing down, smear the top layer with remaining paste and replace the top of the loaf, wrap in glad***p and place under heavy weight overnight, serve whole and cut into slices at the table.



heaven, I'm in heaven and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak....



Four legs good, two legs bad. George Orwell

Sounds devine, I have made a roast veggie loaf in a split focaccia, but I didn`t add aubergine, tapenede or mozarella. Might have to give this one ago.

Lynley, why not a wholemeal loaf? I haven't made a white loaf in years and not sure if I can bring myself to do so. You could, of course, use clingfilm instead of that other forbidden-named stuff. Out of sheer cussedness I try these days to buy any other brand; all due to their selfish attitude. They should take a leaf out of Shakespeare's book: a rose by any other name is still a rose.

This sounds wonderful, could it, once ready, be frozen for later on? Also if you peel the peppers whilst running under water they peel easily. Lorna why not gladw....?

Lorna - I write gladw**p - because I feel they have transformed the word into a swear word in my mind (sort of like saying Voldemort!) - I too boycott their product...

the "not wholemeal" was the wording in the original recipe, the questionmark is mine - I probably couldn't understand why not either....

Lyn - I have never frozen it - might seep moisture on thawing though?? all those veg.

Four legs good, two legs bad. George Orwell

Lyn, I think the answer to your question is in my previuos post. But I'll expand on it just a little: when a large company threatens a small group like ours with legal action for using their name when talking about a type of product in general, I automatically go into 'reverse drive' and refuse to use their product. Think of talking about Biros even if you're holding any other brand of ballpoint pen. Or Hoovering the floor when there's no actual Hoover in sight. They're household names.

lyn V, if you peel the peppers under running water you will lose that lovely smokey flavour. All you need to do is after charring the peppers either place in a clean tea towel or in a plastic bag and leave to cool, the skins remove quite easily.

I'd like to know more about this G......p thing. Did they threaten to sue Foodlovers for mentions of their brand?

Oh lynley, that recipe looks divine, that's me this weekend, I have visitors coming.

So Lorna... it's like that is it? I will be cussed too about clingfilm, just like I refuse to buy that little red sausage but buy instead red cocktail sausages. No more will that brand and name cross my kitchen again, henceforth... clingfilm! Another brand name banned from my vocabulary.

Hoana