Eggplant (yes egglplant!) Pizza

Thursday night is CSA night. This is the night our CSA box is delivered. For those of you who don't know what a CSA is ( I don't think I knew until last year), it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Essentially when you purchase a CSA "share" you are essentially investesting in a local farmer. In return for your investment, you receive a weekly box of veggies from the farm. This year, Sarah and I bought a share from a farm from Wisconsin called Driftless Organics. Its really been a great adventure and I have learned a lot about new vegtables that I had never had or enjoyed...such as eggplant!

Anyway, so on Thursdays, after picking up our box in Linden Hills, Sarah and I set out to make something with our fresh new veggies. Lately, we have been meeting over at Alyssa's house. Since Alyssa lives on the other side of the world (well at least from where we pick up our CSA share), we usually don't eat a little later. So this time, we decided an appetizer was a must.  In the end, the appetizer was soo good and filled us all up that dinner was kind of an after thought.

So for our "appetizer" we went with the Pioneer Woman's favorite pizza- eggplant pizza!

We had to make a few changes to the recipe (i.e. store bought crust), and instead of tomatos, we used zuchinni. It wase really a yummy pizza and I was actually suprised by how much I enjoyed it since I'm a traditionalist when it comes to pizza. But I strongly urge you to branch out and use some of those veggies that are soo fresh in the market now! If your not a strict vegetarian and like some meat to your meal, this pizza would be excellent with some sausauge on it, as suggested by Troy, Alyssa's husband,

Enjoy!

Eggplant/ Zuchinni Pizza

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Favorite Pizza

 Pizza Crust  (either store bought or homemade- recipe below)

1 whole Large Eggplant (or Two Medium Eggplants)

Kosher Salt, For Sprinkling
1 Large Zuchinni (or 2 smaller ones)
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
8 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Very Thin
½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Drizzling
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven broiler.

Slice the eggplant thinly. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and place into a strainer in the sink. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant lightly in cold water, then pat the slices dry between layers of paper towels.

Slice zuchinni thinly and toss into a bowl with minced garlic and some olive oil.
Slice mozzarella very thinly.
Cut eggplant slices into fourths, and toss with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and place 8 inches under the broiler.

Broil for 3 minutes, then toss around and broil another 3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and add zuchinni/garlic mixure, Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and set aside. (May do this 1 hour in advance.)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
If using homemade pizza dough, roll out the dough on a pizza pan. Parbake the crust by placing it in the over for 3-5 minutes to create a crisp crust.

Lightly drizzle olive oil on the crust.Lay mozzarella slices over the surface of the dough. Spread vegetables all over the surface of the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from pan and slice with a pizza cutter. Serve immediately!

My Favorite Pizza DoughFrom Eating Well

To make 12 ounces dough:

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast, (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water, (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

To make 1 pound dough:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast, (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup hot water, (120-130°F)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a stand mixer outfitter with the dough hook.Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the stand mixer running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Mix until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack; preheat oven to 450°F, Roll  pizza out and parbake crust by placing in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Take pizza out and top the pizza as desired. Bake the pizza until the bottom is crisp and golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately.