Panini Alla Norma

Classic pasta alla norma is a dish that’s better than the sum of its parts. Eggplant, tomato, salty cheese, basil, and oregano may seem like a simple ingredient list, but combined, they make for a bright, herbaceous, and summery pasta dinner. Here the same heavy hitters feature on a sandwich rather than in a bowl: between halves of ciabatta you’ll press under a heavy pot to make a crisp panini.

In this recipe, the only two steps to complete before you start building your sandwich are making the amped-up mayonnaise and frying off the eggplant. For the former, you’ll mix grated garlic, fresh oregano, chopped capers, and red pepper flakes into store-bought mayo for a flavor-packed spread you’ll want on both sides of the bread.