Roasted Eggplant and Fried Halloumi Sandwiches

I feel like I've invented a new classic of quick and easy crowd pleasing food. Though normally I'm not fond of the idea of sandwiches for lunch or dinner at home (I grew up with a constant deluge of repetitive sandwich lunches, so they scream "on the go" to me), these are really hearty, satisfying and delicious. The eggplant takes on a new depth of flavour when you roast it, especially with a bit of za'atar, now very trendy even here in Anglo-Saxon Suburbia and available in the local grocery stores. The eggplant becomes almost smokey in flavour, and has even impressed my supposedly eggplant-disliking brother.

The halloumi (a Cypriot cheese) is also not at all hard to find anymore, as it's been discovered for its remarkable capacity for keeping it together under pressure, or rather, heat. It doesn't melt or stick but rather develops a crust of brownish spots of toasty goodness that taste not unlike brown butter (not surprising- both have the flavour of browned milk solids to account for them).

The deep, rich flavours of the star ingredients are balanced out with a super-simple combo of zesty lemon and parsley. A few cherry tomatoes for some freshness, and you're good to go. I've made this with both sandwich rolls and pita breads to equal effect- use whatever you prefer.

Roasted Eggplant and Fried Halloumi Sandwiches
Makes 4 big sandwiches

4 Submarine sandwich rolls, or pita breads
1 Large eggplant, in 1 cm thick slices

1 Lb. Halloumi, in 1 cm thick slices
1 C. Parsley, roughly chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1 C. Cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt, pepper and plenty of olive oil
1-2 TBSP Za'atar, optional (You can also mix 50/50 sesame seeds with dried thyme to simulate it)

Cut open the sandwich rolls to make a large "pocket" with a sharp knife, but not all the way through so that the knife goes through the other side.

Mix the parsley with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.

On a baking tray, drizzle some olive oil and evenly place the eggplant slices. Sprinkle with salt and za'atar if using, and drizzle on more olive oil. Bake at 250 for about 15 minutes, or until the eggplant is very soft. Change to a broil setting and let brown, then flip with a spatula and let the other side brown. You can also fry the eggplant slices in a large skillet on medium-high heat until both sides are well-browned, but this will take more oil to keep the eggplant from burning.

Fry the halloumi slices in a skillet or frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil until the bottom is covered with crisp brown "cow spots", about 2 minutes on medium-high heat. Flip and fry the other side, then transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain of oil. 

If you want a softer sandwich, peel the skin off the roasted eggplant slices, as they get quite hard after baking- they should come right off.

Into each roll, add an equal portion of eggplant, halloumi, the parsley mixture and cherry tomatoes. Serve immediately.