Alex, the chef at the Palatino hotel in Rome where my parents go on their tour, would probably come up with something like this. But this is vegan!
You'll need:
About 1 of those long, skinny wheat baguette loaves (which also make great garlic bread, by the way). Depends on how large of a crowd you're feeding, though.
1 recipe (or less, depending on size of crowd) of cheese recipe below
A bunch of basil leaves, enough for one per mini-sandwich you're preparing
Roma (or other small) tomato slices
Garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Step 1: Prepare "mozzarella" cheese!
2 c. water or plain soymilk (I use water)
1/2 c. nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 c. sesame tahini
1/4 c. kuzu, arrowroot, or cornstarch (I've been using arrowroot powder)
3-4 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 t. salt
Lightly oil a 3-cup mold, loaf pan or small bowl. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into saucepan and stir over medium heat until very thick and smooth. Pour into prepared container, and cool uncovered in fridge. When completely cool, cover and chill overnight (although, I admit to making this in the morning or afternoon and serving it in the evening.) To slice, turn out of the mold and slice with an oiled or water-moistened knife. This cheese is extremely sticky and barely holds together, but is wonderful for these sandwiches. We've also tried them instead of the casein-laden fake cheese from the store on mini-pizzas. Mmmmm, good!
Step 2: Prepare tomatoes.
Slice tomatoes, not too thinly, not too thickly. Place in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over them, and add some crushed garlic to the mix. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Let marinate about 15-20 minutes.
Step 3: Slice bread. I like to make my slices about 2"x3" or so.
Step 4: Assemble sandwiches!
Slice cheese into semi-thin slices and place on top of bread slices. Then put a basil leaf down, and top with a tomato slice about the size of the top of the sandwich. You can drizzle leftover olive oil and garlic mix from the bowl over the tomato, but don't drench the sandwich! You want people to be able to eat it like finger food.
