Eggplant and Garlic Pizza
Cook time: 7 mins
Total time: 1 hour 7 mins
Serves: One 12-14 inch pizza
For best results, a pizza stone and pizza peel should be used when making this recipe.
Ingredients
- 7 ounce pizza dough (store bought or our homemade Perfect Pizza Dough)
- 6-8 slices of peeled eggplant, cut ½ inch thick
- Salt to sprinkle on eggplant
- ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ inch vegetable oil for large skillet
- Flour for surface
- ⅓ cup roasted tomato pizza sauce or your favorite sauce
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons finely minced garlic (more if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Corn meal to coat pizza peel
Instructions
- Bring dough ball to room temperature on a floured pan. Cover dough ball with plastic and a dish towel and let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- On a floured surface, flatten dough to a 12-14 inch round. Cover with plastic and dish towel again and let sit for another 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, lay out slices of eggplant and liberally salt each side. This process draws out the bitterness of the eggplant. Let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes. You will see moisture being drawn out. After 30 minutes, rinse them under water to remove salt and bitter liquid.
- On a plate or in a bowl, mix the ½ cup of flour, salt and pepper. Then dip eggplant into this mixture, coating both sides. Shake off excess flour.
- Heat the large skillet over high heat with the ½ inch of vegetable oil to 375 degrees. When oil is hot, lay eggplant slices into oil and cook on both sides until brown (about 1 ½ minutes per side). Remove to a paper towel to drain.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees and in middle rack, place your pizza stone.
- On a pizza peel, sprinkle corn meal over surface. Lay pizza dough round onto peel.
- Carefully spread pizza sauce to ½ inch from edge without getting any on peel.
- Sprinkle most of the shredded mozzarella over sauce but leave a small amount to sprinkle over finished pizza.
- Sprinkle minced garlic, basil and oregano over cheese and then lay eggplant slices over all. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
- Drizzle a little oil over top and slide pizza from peel onto the stone and set timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes check pizza bottom for browning with a pair of tongs and cook 1-2 more minutes only if needed.
- Cut and serve with a nice tall cold beer. (Hopefully in a clean glass)
