Grilled Eggplant with Fresh Mozzarella

A good sandwich is an honest thing. It asks for quality bread, ingredients at their peak, and the restraint to let them be themselves. This one begins at the market in August, when eggplants are heavy and glossy and tomatoes smell like summer before you slice them.

The eggplant changes everything on the grill. Raw, it is spongy and unremarkable. But brush it with good olive oil, lay it over high heat, and it becomes silky, almost creamy, with char marks that add depth without masking its subtle sweetness. This transformation is why technique matters, but only in service of the ingredient.

Find mozzarella that was pulled that morning if you can. The difference between fresh mozzarella and the shrink-wrapped kind is the difference between a sandwich you remember and one you forget. When you layer it over warm eggplant, it softens just enough. Add tomatoes that need nothing but salt. Tear basil at the last moment. Drizzle your best olive oil.

Every meal is a meaningful choice. This sandwich connects you to the farmers who grew these vegetables, to the cheesemaker who pulled this mozzarella, to the baker who made this bread. Eat it outside if you can, with friends who understand that the simple things are often the best things.