Thursday, January 31, 2013

Eggplant Pizza



I haven't written anything about food for quite some time.  I do try to mention recipes that I think might be interesting or different.  Or at least interesting or different to me!  Have you ever had an eggplant pizza?

Eggplant was just not a vegetable that I grew up eating.  I really don't remember seeing them until I was a young housewife and Craig decided to grow some in the garden.  I remember we joked about they being an "alien" plant.  I really don't recall what I did with the ones we grew.  

In recent years as we have explored more and more vegetable dishes, eggplants have found their place in our menus and I have come to like them a great deal. Last week I bought one just because it looked good without any plan.  As the days passed, I realized I had better use it before it went bad, so one evening I Googled "eggplant recipes" and studied the list eliminating ones that would require a trip to the store.  

Aha!  Eggplant Pizza.  I make my own crust, I had some homemade pizza sauce in the freezer, and sufficient Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Asiago cheeses to do it. There are almost always other veggies on hand, so I was good to go.

Since I didn't follow an exact recipe, I'll just write about how I made it.

I started a dough in the bread machine in the morning.  If I make my dough in the morning and let it proof in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for the day, it seems to be more elastic and less likely to tear when I roll it out.  I used half whole wheat and half white bread flour.  We seem to like that better than 100% whole wheat.
100% white flour doesn't hold up to grilling as well.

 I  prepared the other ingredients later in the day.  I chopped a red bell pepper and an  onion, and sautéed them in a no-stick pan with just a light spray of olive oil.

I cut the eggplant into half-inch-thick rounds and grilled them on medium heat until they had nice grill marks on each side. This took about four minutes on one side and two on the other.  I removed the eggplant and while it cooled a bit, I rolled out and grilled the crust.

The best way to make pizza on the grill is to put the undressed crust directly on the hot grill and cook it until one side is crisp. Watch it carefully, and be sure to have poked fork holes all around to prevent big bubbles. In pizza-speak this is called docking. When it develops nice grill marks on the down side, remove it, and flip it grilled side up on the pick or cutting board,  spread on the sauce and toppings, and return it to the grill. 

This is not my pizza, but mine looked quite like this one
I used pizza sauce, the sautéed peppers and onions, some extra dried basil (because I didn't have any fresh) and the eggplant slices, which had been cut into strips.  I topped it all with a light layer of grated cheeses, and grilled it until the crust edges looked done and the cheese was melted.

It was amazingly good! 

I know some of you are eating a more plant-based diet, and I strongly recommend trying eggplant pizza if you don't already have it in your repertoire. You could use a vegan cheese, or none at all. 

A really yummy, healthy pizza for a little over $5.00.  

Can't beat that!

14 comments:

  1. I love eggplant parmesiana but I have some friends who have made it a little more healthy by grilling the eggplant slices instead of breading and frying them. Then they use the sauces and cheese and finish in the oven.

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  2. Do you need to cook it in some way before you add it to the pizza? I'm wondering if it would make the crust soggy if you didn't.

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  3. Looks yummy. I actually use a pizza stone on the grill, I think it helps evening out the heat. Do it a lot when the weather turns hot and I don't want to cook in the rig.

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  4. Since I don't eat cheese or pizza, this one won't make it in our house. But I'm sure Nan is going to try it out.

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  5. Thank you sounds really good.

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  6. Pizza night must be catching. I decided to make a very different pizza tonight, using ground beef, no dough, for the base. John and I have been wheat free for a while now and substitute bases don't always work well.

    I like the idea of eggplant on the top.

    For anyone interested in my version of a meat lover's pizza I did write out the recipe here http://withgodnothingistoohard-recipes.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/ultimate-meat-lovers-pizza-based-on.html

    It was surprisingly low in calories and very satisfying. Of course my version of seasoning and cheese is probably vastly different to what you would use.

    Your description of your pizza sound so delicious.

    Blessings

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  7. I've always wanted to try pizza on a grill...nice hint to cook the crust first! Can't wait to try it!

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  8. I made pizza last night too. I also used half whole wheat flour. I've never thought to cook one on the grill. I always put a blog of dough on a cast iron pan and then spread it out. How do you manage to pick up the dough and put it on the grill? Do you use a pan or just lay it right on the grill???

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  9. I have heard of pizza on the grill. It sounds wonderful. The pizza was so pretty, they say we eat with out eyes first. It looked delicious.

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  10. I love eggplant pizza! There was a pizzeria in Boston I used to love when I was going to college, an eggplant and artichoke pizza, it's still the best pizza I've ever eaten.

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  11. I've never tried eggplant but I do like Chicken and Waffles. LOL.
    Susie

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