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Categories:
eggplant salt basil mint leaves garlic grape tomatoes extra-virgin olive oil dough flour Italian parchment paper
Viewed: 52 - Published at: 9 years agoIngredients
- 1 (1 1/2-pound) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 10 ounces grape tomatoes (2 cups), quartered
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing dough
- Pizza dough
- Flour for dredging
- 1/4 pound Italian Fontina, rind discarded and cheese cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
- Special equipment: a pizza stone; parchment paper; a baking peel or rimless baking sheet
Method
- Sprinkle eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a colander and let drain in sink, turning slices occasionally, 30 minutes.
- Finely chop together basil, mint, and garlic.
- Toss with tomatoes in a bowl, then drain in a sieve set over bowl.
- Preheat broiler.
- Rinse eggplant, then pat dry in batches between paper towels, pressing firmly to remove excess liquid.
- Brush both sides of slices with oil (about 4 tablespoons total) and form small stacks, then cut stacks into quarters.
- Arrange eggplant pieces in 1 layer in 2 shallow heavy baking pans and broil, 1 pan at a time, about 5 to 6 inches from heat, turning eggplant over once, until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes per batch.
- Cool eggplant to room temperature.
- Put pizza stone in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 500F (allow 1 hour for pizza stone to heat).
- Do not punch down dough.
- Gently dredge 1 piece of dough in flour to coat, then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper set on baking peel or baking sheet.
- Holding 1 edge of floured dough in the air with both hands and letting bottom touch parchment, carefully move hands around edge of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing weight of dough to stretch it to a round roughly 10 inches in diameter.
- Lay round on parchment and adjust shape as needed.
- Discard any liquid exuded from tomatoes and toss tomatoes with remaining tablespoon oil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl.
- Brush dough round with oil and scatter half of eggplant, half of tomatoes, and half of cheese over it, leaving a 1-inch border around edge.
- Line up far edge of peel with far edge of pizza stone and tilt peel down, jerking it gently to start pizza moving.
- Slide pizza, along with parchment, onto stone and bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove pizza from oven by sliding peel under paper.
- Transfer pizza to a cutting board and discard parchment.
- While first pizza is baking, assemble second pizza on another sheet of parchment, then bake in same manner.
