Charred Eggplant Pita Sandwiches with Spicy Tahini

These vegetarian sandwiches were inspired by the Iraqi-Israeli hand food called sabich that stuffs fried eggplant, tomato-cucumber salad, hard-cooked egg, hummus and amba, a pickled mango condiment, into pita bread. For our much-simplified version, broiled slices of za’atar-seasoned eggplant are the “meat” of the matter, and a harissa-spiked tahini sauce adds spice and richness while quick-pickled onion and tomato liven up the flavors. Other items you may want to tuck into the sandwiches to make them more sabich-like: sliced hard-cooked eggs, hummus, parsley leaves and cucumber pickles.