Quinndulgences

GRILLED EGGPLANT AND OLIVE PIZZA

A stove-top and oven adaption of Smitten Kitchen’s recipes for basic pizza dough and pizza.

Ingredients:

for the dough:

• 2 1/4 cups flour (replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1-1/2 tablespoon olive oil

for the pizza:

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 5 ounces sliced provolone, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/3 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. To make the dough, mix together the flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture until incorporated. Dump all clumps onto a lightly floured surface and knead the for a minute or two, until it forms a ball of dough.
2. Lightly oil a bowl (even the one you had mixed it — one-bowl recipe!) and dump the dough in. Turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap, and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.
3. Dump it back on a floured surface, and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the dough into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the pizza toppings.
4. Preheat the oven to the top temperature. Coat the eggplant slices in olive oil and minced garlic. Roast the eggplant slices over medium-high heat, until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and chop the cooked eggplant into 1/2-inch matchsticks.
5. Roll or stretching out the dough onto a baking sheet (you can optionally lightly powder the pan with corn flour). Bake for about two minutes, just until it has started to rise and crisp up. Remove from the oven and mound on the eggplant slices, chopped olives, and layer the cheese on that.
6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and starting to blister, about 10 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom of the pizza. Remove from the oven and let cool a minute before slicing. Yields 4 hearty servings.