Eggplant Bottomed Pizza Food

EGGPLANT-BOTTOMED PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place eggplant slices on the baking sheet and cook until slightly soft, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Mix well and set aside.
• Carefully remove the sheet from oven. Evenly spread the tomato mixture over the eggplant slices. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and evenly top with mushrooms, pepper, and onion.
• Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and the toppings are hot, about 10 additional minutes.
• Sprinkle with the shredded Parmesan.
• Enjoy!

EGGPLANT PIZZA

Steps:

• Broil eggplant:
• Cut eggplant into 1/3-inch-thick rounds and arrange in 1 layer on a foil-lined large baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides with oil and season with salt. Broil 2 to 3 inches from heat until golden brown and tender, 3 to 8 minutes on each side.
• Make dough:
• Dissolve yeast in warm water. Blend flour and salt in a food processor. Add oil and blend. With motor running, add yeast mixture all at once, blending until dough forms a ball. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface 5 minutes. Put in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. While dough is rising, put a pizza stone on lowest rack of oven (remove other racks) and preheat oven to 500°F.
• Dust dough with flour on a floured surface, then shape and stretch into a 12- to 13-inch round. Sprinkle a baker's peel generously with flour and carefully transfer dough to it. Jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift it and sprinkle flour underneath.
• Assemble pizza:
• Toss together cheeses and sprinkle 1/4 over dough. Cover with eggplant, overlapping it, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Heat oil in a small skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and red pepper, stirring, until just fragrant, 30 to 40 seconds. Spoon evenly over eggplant.
• Line up far edge of peel with far edge of stone and tilt peel, jerking it gently. When edge of pizza touches stone, quickly pull back peel to transfer to stone (do not move pizza) and bake until dough is crisp and browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Slide peel under pizza to remove from oven.

GRILLED EGGPLANT PIZZA

Steps:

• Prepare the grill and let burn down to medium coals or heat gas grill on medium heat.
• In a colander set over another bowl, salt the eggplant and let drain for 30 minutes then rinse and dry.
• Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and season with pepper. Toss the peppers with a little olive oil. Place both on the grill and cook the eggplant until browned on the first side, about 3 minutes. The slices should be browned between the grill marks when ready to turn. Move them away from direct heat and cook on the second side until tender, about 10 minutes total. Cut the grilled slices into 1/2-inch dice.
• Cook the peppers, turning as necessary, until charred all over. Remove the peppers to a bowl. Cover and let the peppers steam to loosen the skins. When cool enough to handle, peel, seed, and tear into long, thin strips.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Working on a surface free of flour, roll each ball under your palm. As it rolls, it will stick slightly to the surface, creating tension that helps form a tight, round ball. Dust the work surface lightly with flour, pat each ball down lightly, dust the tops with flour, cover with a towel, and let rise for about 15 minutes. With a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a circle 8 or 9 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick.
• Have the grill ready at medium heat. Have the 1/4 cup olive oil, eggplant, peppers, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, if using, olives, and cheese in bowls and ready by the side of the grill.
• Brush each dough round with about 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Place on the grill, oiled side up, and cook until browned on the underside, about 2 minutes. Turn and, working quickly, brush each round with another 1 teaspoon olive oil. Then scatter each with 1/6 each of the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, if using, eggplant, bell peppers, olives, and cheese. Cover the grill and cook until the rounds are browned on the bottom and the cheese has softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to plates and top each with an equal amount of the arugula. Spritz lightly with vinegar. Serve immediately.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND BUFFALO MOZZARELLA PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Mix the yeast, warm water and olive oil in the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, and let the mixture sit until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add in flour and salt, and using the dough hook or food processor blade, beat or pulse it until a smooth, slightly elastic dough forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly coat a bowl with olive oil, place dough in the bowl, and turn the dough to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and let it sit overnight.
• Divide the dough in quarters, and shape each piece into a tight, compact ball. Place the dough balls on a lightly oiled baking sheet or plate, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let them rise in the refrigerator another 1 to 2 hours (or up to 6 hours).
• When ready to bake the pizzas, place racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven. Put a pizza stone on top rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Prepare the toppings: On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the eggplant generously with oil, salt and pepper. Roast eggplant on the bottom rack until caramelized and tender, 40 to 45 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove from the oven and raise the oven heat to 500 degrees.
• On a piece of parchment paper, stretch out one of the balls of dough to a 12-inch round. Spread 2 tablespoons tomato purée on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Scatter on 1/4 of the sliced garlic, a large pinch of red-pepper flakes and drizzle with oil to taste.
• Arrange 1/4 of the roasted eggplant on top. Use a pizza peel or cookie sheet to slide the parchment onto the pizza stone. Bake until crispy and golden on the top and bottom, 7 to 10 minutes. Use tongs to pull the pizza out of the oven and onto a wire rack to cool.
• Immediately top with chunks of cheese, pulling it apart with your hands into bite-size pieces. Top with basil, more oil to taste and flaky sea salt. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.

EGGPLANT PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat the eggs in a bowl. Mix the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Dip each eggplant slice in the egg, then drop the eggplant in the flour mixture one at a time, shaking the bag to coat the eggplant.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Place the eggplant slices in the skillet to cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned. Drain the eggplant slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Arrange the eggplant in one layer on a baking sheet. Spoon enough pizza sauce to cover each eggplant slice. Top each eggplant with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the mozzarella cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes.

EGGPLANT PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Lightly oil a oven-safe dish. Wash and cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Place the eggplant slices evenly in the dish.
• Mix the oil, garlic, basil, and oregano and drizzle over the eggplant evenly. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the eggplants begin to brown. Remove from oven.
• Flip over each slice of eggplant. Place cheese on top of each slice, then cover all the slices evenly with tomato sauce. Return to oven.
• Cook for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melting and bubbling. Remove from oven. Serve alone or with pasta or risotto.