Eggplant Pizza Recipe – with Toasted Pine Nuts

 

I received a pizza oven as a gift, and it’s been such a fun adventure learning how to use it. I can’t say I’ve mastered it completely—there have definitely been a couple of overly crispy casualties—but when I get it right… oh my word, the pizza is incredible. One of my favorite creations is eggplant pizza.  This particular pizza featured the roasted eggplant, and it turned out absolutely delicious.

 

Eggplant Pizza

For the Eggplant Base:
1 lb eggplant
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 tsp salt
For the Pizza Dough:
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
corn meal for sprinkling
For the Pizza:
1 cup eggplant base
1/2 cup dehydrated tomatoes rehydrated in warm water or sundried tomatoes
8 ounces fresh mozzarella
2 TBS toasted pine nuts
other toppings as desired

Make the eggplant base:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Cut the eggplant up into small pieces.
• Cut the onion up into chunks.
• Peel the garlic and if the cloves are large cut them in half.
• Add everything to a bowl and sprinkle with salt and half of the olive oil. Mix well.
• Add the vegetables to a baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 30 – 45 minutes until everything is very soft and slightly browned.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
• Add to a food processor with the steel blade. Process until you have a thick paste.
• Add the remaining olive oil and process until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Make the Pizza Dough:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand 1 minute or until the yeast is creamy. Stir until dissolved.
• In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, 2 1/2 cups of the all purpose flour, and the salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, add in more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (I did this in my KitchenAid)
• Lightly coat a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Flatten the dough with your fist. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and shape the pieces into balls dust the tops with flour. (At this point I cut the dough in half and froze one half for later use.)
• Place the balls on a floured surface and cover each with plastic wrap, allowing room for the dough to expand. Let rise 60 – 90 minutes, or until doubled.

Shape the Pizza

• When the dough is done it’s second rise you are ready to shape the pizza. I highly recommend a pizza peel. It makes moving the pizza to the oven so much easier. Sprinkle the peel with corn meal. (If you don’t have a peel I have heard of people using parchment paper. I don’t know about that method as I have never done it.)
• Thirty to sixty minutes before baking the pizza(s), place a pizza stone or unglazed quarry tiles on a rack in the lowest level of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450
• To shape the pizza, gently stretch it and let it hang from your fingertips until it is the size that you want. Do not roll the dough.
• When it is the correct size lay it on the cornmeal dusted peel.

• Spread one cup of the eggplant mixture on the dough.
• Top with the rehydrated tomatoes and then any other toppings you might want. (For the hubby I added onions and peppers and anchovies)
• The top with the mozzarella cheese.
• Carefully slide the pizza on to the hot pizza stone.
• Bake for 15 – 18 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
• Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts
• Cool for about 10 minutes before eating.

How Was the Eggplant Pizza?

This was a seriously yummy pizza. The eggplant mixture is silky and rich, the tomatoes add a hint of tart and the pine nuts give an unexpected earthy crunch. It was a really delightful combination of flavors!

This eggplant mixture is delicious I have used it in other recipes like Chilean sea bass with roasted eggplant. Plus, it’s seriously good on crackers as an appetizer.

I am enjoying having the pizza oven. I can’t say that I am 100% at making pizzas in it as of yet but the ones that have come out well are much better than what I have made in the regular oven in the past.