Dafne Garden Café is a delightful open-to-the-public bar housed within Apollo – a boutique hotel in Rome’s Prati district, just a few steps from Lepanto. And despite the venue’s inauguration during the onset of the coronavirus lockdown, Dafne has already managed to court locals with their small terrace is nestled between ministerial buildings – for a little respite from the urban jungle of the Prati district.
Fundamental to the café’s success is Federico Cari – a skilled pastry chef who has momentarily lent himself to working with more savory ingredients to create Dafne’s menu, from breakfast to aperitivo. But the most delicious time of day at Dafne, in our opinion, is lunchtime – with light (and rich) dishes that are sure to satisfy even the pickiest of palates. In fact, Federico Cari has created a menu of gourmet sandwiches – and his Club Sandwich is even made in two different versions! The first is traditionally made, while the second is his own recipe for a veggie club sandwich, playing on contrasts of color and flavor among ingredients like zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant. And Federico was gracious enough to share the recipe with us, so we can create the same vegetarian magic at home! But if you can, we suggest trying the original first!
Federico Cari’s Vegetarian Club Sandwich Recipe
Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:
3 large slices of whole-wheat bread, 3 organic dark eggplants (not too large), 6 organic zucchini, ½ red onion, 2 unripe organic tomatoes (the classic tomato for sandwiches), Classic mayonnaise (or mustard), Fresh basil, Fresh thyme, Fresh chives, Fresh mint, Extra-virgin olive oil
Method:
(The ingredients can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge to assemble later.)
For the zucchini cream:
Use 3 zucchini to make the cream of zucchini. Slice the zucchini thin, eliminating the white part inside. In a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, fry the julienned onion. Add the zucchini and sauté until tender, but not overcooked. Immediately blend the zucchini with three basil leaves, adding a little water if necessary to make the cream very smooth. Allow to cool at room temperature.
For the roasted vegetables:
Preheat a ventilated oven to 390°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and slice the eggplants to a thickness of about ½ cm or a little more. Spread them onto one pan and season with oil and salt. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into thick slices and place them on the other baking sheet and season with oil and salt. Bake both for 20 minutes to slightly brown the vegetables. Let them cool at room temperature.
Assembly:
Toast both sides of the slices of whole-wheat sandwich bread and set aside. Slice the tomatoes to a thickness of about ½ centimeter and dab them lightly with paper towels or a kitchen cloth to remove excess water. Spread a little mayo and plenty of zucchini cream on all three slices of sandwich bread – one of these slices will be the top of the sandwich, so set it aside because you won’t need it until the end. Lay four slices of tomato on the two other bread slices and cover them with baked eggplant, followed by more zucchini spread horizontally, overlapping them slightly to create a compact and uniform layer. Sprinkle each slice with the mixture of fresh julienned (or roughly chopped) herbs. Spread on some more zucchini cream to finish. Overlay the two layers one on top of the other (like a multi-layer cake!) and close with the slice of bread previously set aside. Lightly crush the sandwich “tower” with the palm of your hand and remove the outer crusts of the sandwich bread using a sharp serrated bread-knife. Then cut your veggie club sandwich into two large rectangles. Toast the sandwich again for a few moments before serving. If desired, complete each slice of the veggie club with a little cream of zucchini and more fresh herbs.