Food Fridays #9

Finally…Part Three of the Eggplant Parmesan Pizza recipe that starts with the Basic Pizza Dough with Italian Herbs and the World’s Best Pizza Sauce. The dough and sauce can, of course, be made separately or together for a myriad of delicious pizzas.

If you’re ambitious enough to attempt the whole Eggplant Parmesan Pizza recipe, make sure to read the whole thing before beginning. The recipe has five parts: the dough, the tomato sauce, the white sauce, the eggplants, and the pizza assembly. It cuts down on the cooking time significantly if you overlap different parts of the recipe (for example, make the sauces and drain the eggplants while the dough rises etc.…). You can, of course, also just use parts of this recipe to make other pizzas.

I also recommend making this for a group of friends, because it’s a good bit of work and you’ll want to share the yummy results!


Eggplant Parmesan Pizza

Basic Pizza Dough with Italian Herbs
World’s Best Pizza Sauce

White Sauce

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground white pepper

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, whisk briskly to blend until smooth, and cook, stirring about 2 minutes; do not brown. Add the milk all at once and whisk until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Pour the sauce into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming, and set aside.


Eggplant Pizza

2 pounds globe eggplants, peeled and sliced crosswise about ½ inch thick
all-purpose flour for dredging eggplants
equal portions vegetable oil and olive oil for frying
salt
freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for brushing pizza pan or screen
olive oil, for brushing crust and drizzling on top
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 oz), Parmigiano-Reggiano is the best
about 30 small whole fresh basil leaves, or 3 tbsp. minced fresh basil or oregano

Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt and place on paper towels. Cover with more paper towels and place a wooden board or heavy weight (evenly distributed) on top of the eggplant slices and paper towels for 30 minutes to draw out moisture.
Meanwhile, prepare the White Sauce and the Tomato Sauce.

Rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge lightly in flour. Pour equal portions olive oil and vegetable oil into a sauté pan or heavy skillet to a depth of 2 inches, and heat over medium-high heat. Add as many of the eggplant slices as will fit comfortably without crowding the pan and brown on both sides. Continue to cook, turning several times, until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted utensil or tongs, transfer the eggplant to paper towels to drain; then season to taste with salt and pepper. Brown the remaining eggplant slices in the same manner, adding more oil as necessary to prevent sticking.

Brush pizza screen or ventilated pizza pan with vegetable oil; set aside. On a floured surface, roll out the dough and place on prepared screen or pan.

Brush the raw dough or the prebaked crust(s) all over with olive oil, then top with the eggplant slices, overlapping slightly and leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Spoon the White Sauce over the eggplant; then top with the Tomato Sauce. Sprinkle with about ¾ cup of the cheese and drizzle evenly with olive oil.

Transfer pizza to the preheated oven, and bake until crust is crisp and the cheese and toppings are bubbly, about 8 minutes for prebaked crusts, or 10 to 15 minutes for fresh dough. Remove from the oven and lightly brush the edges of the crust with olive oil. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the whole or minced herb leaves. Slice and serve immediately.