Eggplant Pesto And Goat Cheese Pizza Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 2 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat.
• Season the eggplant with the salt.
• Fry one-third of the eggplant, turning, until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove.
• Repeat in two more batches with the remaining oil, using more if needed, and the eggplant.
• Meanwhile, oil a 14-inch pizza pan or large baking sheet.
• Press the pizza dough onto the pan in an approximately 14-inch round or 9-by-13-inch rectangle.
• Arrange the eggplant slices on the pizza crust.
• Sprinkle the garlic and pepper over the top.
• Bake for 12 minutes.
• Put the slices of goat cheese on the pizza.
• Sprinkle with the Parmesan, and then dot with the pesto.
• Bake until the cheese begins to turn golden, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Broil eggplant:
• Cut eggplant into 1/3-inch-thick rounds and arrange in 1 layer on a foil-lined large baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides with oil and season with salt. Broil 2 to 3 inches from heat until golden brown and tender, 3 to 8 minutes on each side.
• Make dough:
• Dissolve yeast in warm water. Blend flour and salt in a food processor. Add oil and blend. With motor running, add yeast mixture all at once, blending until dough forms a ball. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface 5 minutes. Put in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. While dough is rising, put a pizza stone on lowest rack of oven (remove other racks) and preheat oven to 500°F.
• Dust dough with flour on a floured surface, then shape and stretch into a 12- to 13-inch round. Sprinkle a baker's peel generously with flour and carefully transfer dough to it. Jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift it and sprinkle flour underneath.
• Assemble pizza:
• Toss together cheeses and sprinkle 1/4 over dough. Cover with eggplant, overlapping it, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Heat oil in a small skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and red pepper, stirring, until just fragrant, 30 to 40 seconds. Spoon evenly over eggplant.
• Line up far edge of peel with far edge of stone and tilt peel, jerking it gently. When edge of pizza touches stone, quickly pull back peel to transfer to stone (do not move pizza) and bake until dough is crisp and browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Slide peel under pizza to remove from oven.