For a Labor day barbecue potluck we were forewarned of the presence of vegetarians and the preponderance of meat among the other guests contributions. One of our answers to this call for veggies was this Greek inspired main course which requires preparation and assembly before the barbecue but then can be easily transported and quickly grilled.
2-3 large red peppers (depends on the extent of your affection for roasted red pepper)
2 larger eggplants
smoked mozzarella (feel free to substitute regular mozzarella or provolone)



Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt (full fat is best but others are acceptable)
1 head garlic
oregano (1 tsp)
lemon juice (2 tbsp)

Directions:

1. Roast red peppers and garlic: There many different methods that can be used here. My favorite is to cut the peppers in to four pieces, as flat as possible, cover in a little olive oil and roast on baking sheet at 400 degrees until the the tops are partially blackened. The garlic can be roasted in the same oven whole in a ceramic garlic roaster or in tin foil covered in a little olive oil and salt. It should take about 20 minutes. When the roasted red pepper comes out of the oven transfer the peices to a plastic bag. Let them sit in a plastic bag for ten minutes. Peal the blackened skins off of them taking care to maintain the integrity of the pieces. The skins should peal off easily because of the effect of the steam in the bag.
   
2. Blanch 1/4 inch pieces of eggplant: Boil water in large pot and add a generous amount of salt. Slice the eggplant into long quarter inch slices. Put eggplant in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, stirring to make sure all pieces are exposed to the water. Remove eggplant from water and drain thoroughly. This process both precooks the eggplant for quick grilling and removes some of the eggplants bitter flavor.
   
3. Assemble sandwiches: To assemble a sandwich place a piece of roasted red pepper and a thin slice of smoked mozzarella between two similarly sized pieces of eggplant. Sandwiches will keep in this state for several hours before being grilled.
4. Mix sauce: Peal roasted garlic. Either mash it or put it in a blender with a bit of olive oil and the oregano. Mince fresh oregano (or use the dry stuff). Mix garlic and oregano into Greek yogurt. The best part about bringing this sauce to a barbecue is that it is awesome on everything: hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, grilled veggies...
5. Grill eggplant sandwiches on high for about 3 minutes a side. Because they are already cooked the goal of cooking is to get those nice tasty grill marks and to melt the cheese.
   
6. Serve smothered in Greek garlic sauce. Invite quests to experiment with Greek garlic sauce as a condiment for other dishes.

Notes: If you are into creative burgers you can serve these on top of a burger between buns smothered in a generous helping of the sauce.