Eggplant Tomato And Fontina Pizza Recipes

EGGPLANT, TOMATO, AND FONTINA PIZZA

Steps:

• Prepare pizza toppings:
• Sprinkle eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a colander and let drain in sink, turning slices occasionally, 30 minutes.
• Finely chop together basil, mint, and garlic. Toss with tomatoes in a bowl, then drain in a sieve set over bowl.
• Preheat broiler.
• Rinse eggplant, then pat dry in batches between paper towels, pressing firmly to remove excess liquid. Brush both sides of slices with oil (about 4 tablespoons total) and form small stacks, then cut stacks into quarters. Arrange eggplant pieces in 1 layer in 2 shallow heavy baking pans and broil, 1 pan at a time, about 5 to 6 inches from heat, turning eggplant over once, until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Cool eggplant to room temperature.
• Put pizza stone in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F (allow 1 hour for pizza stone to heat).
• Assemble pizzas:
• Do not punch down dough. Gently dredge 1 piece of dough in flour to coat, then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper set on baking peel or baking sheet. Holding 1 edge of floured dough in the air with both hands and letting bottom touch parchment, carefully move hands around edge of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing weight of dough to stretch it to a round roughly 10 inches in diameter. Lay round on parchment and adjust shape as needed.
• Discard any liquid exuded from tomatoes and toss tomatoes with remaining tablespoon oil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl. Brush dough round with oil and scatter half of eggplant, half of tomatoes, and half of cheese over it, leaving a 1-inch border around edge. Line up far edge of peel with far edge of pizza stone and tilt peel down, jerking it gently to start pizza moving. Slide pizza, along with parchment, onto stone and bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove pizza from oven by sliding peel under paper. Transfer pizza to a cutting board and discard parchment.
• While first pizza is baking, assemble second pizza on another sheet of parchment, then bake in same manner.

BAKED PENNE WITH EGGPLANT AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Halve each tomato crosswise, then squeeze or scoop out the seeds into a strainer set over a bowl to catch the juices. Dice the tomatoes. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over a medium flame. When it shimmers, add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, chile flakes, and salt, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 more minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until broken down and reduced to a thick sauce, about 30 minutes. You may need to reduce the flame to prevent splatters. Add splashes of wine or water if the pan looks dry before the tomatoes have broken down.
• When the sauce is done, let it cool slightly, then pass it through a food mill to puree it smooth and remove the skins.
• While the sauce is cooking, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400º. Toss together the eggplant, olive oil and salt, and place on an oiled baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until the eggplant is very soft and golden, 20-25 minutes, flipping the slices over when the bottoms begin to brown. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375ºWhen the eggplant is cool, cut each round into bite-sized pieces.
• Cook the penne according to the package instructions in well-salted water until al dente. Drain well. (If you're not baking the pasta right away, rinse it in cool water, drain well, and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.)
• In a large bowl, toss together the penne, sauce, eggplant, basil, parsley, olives, fontina and provolone. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or pepper if you like, then spread the pasta in an oiled 2 1/2-3 quart baking dish (such as a 9x13" lasagna pan). Cover with a good layer of freshly-grated parmesan.
• Cover the dish with a lid or foil, and bake until the pasta is hot and the cheese is melty and gooey, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with more parmesan and small basil leaves.
• Leftovers will keep for several days, tightly covered, in the fridge. Reheat before eating.

BREADED EGGPLANT WITH FONTINA CHEESE AND ANCHOVIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• If desired, trim off and discard the skin of each eggplant round. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Dip each round in flour and shake off excess. Beat the egg with water and dredge each round, bottom and sides, in the mixture. Dredge each, bottom and sides, in the bread crumbs. Shake off excess.
• Fill a heavy skillet with oil to a depth of about half an inch. Heat until the temperature on a fat thermometer is about 375 degrees. Add the eggplant rounds in one layer and cook, turning occasionally, about three minutes or until each round is golden brown and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper towels.
• Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet or tin. Top each with a round of Fontina cheese. Split each anchovy fillet in half. Arrange two pieces of anchovy in the shape of a cross in the center of each piece of cheese. Place in the oven and bake five minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted. Serve, if desired, with tomato sauce or garlic, oil and anchovy sauce.

EGGPLANT SANDWICHES WITH FONTINA CHEESE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• If desired, trim off and discard the skin of each eggplant round. Place each round on a flat surface and hold a knife parallel to the surface. Cut each round in half, splitting each sandwichlike almost but not through to the end. Leave a small hinge at one end of each round. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Fill each sandwich with a round of Fontina cheese and top each piece of cheese with a sun-dried tomato. Close each sandwich.
• Dip each sandwich in flour and shake off excess. Beat the egg with water and dredge each sandwich, bottom and sides, in the mixture. Dredge each sandwich, bottom and sides, in bread crumbs to coat thoroughly. Shake off excess.
• Fill a heavy skillet with oil to a depth of about half an inch. Heat until the temperature on a fat thermometer is about 375 degrees. Add the sandwiches in one layer and cook, turning occasionally, about three minutes or until each round is golden brown and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper towels. Serve, if desired, with tomato sauce or garlic, oil and anchovy sauce.

EGGPLANT AND TOMATO PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly oil 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and onion and sauté until vegetables soften and brown lightly, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Unroll pizza dough. Fit into prepared pan, pressing up at edges to create 1-inch-high rim. Spread eggplant mixture evenly over bottom of crust. Arrange tomatoes over. Sprinkle with cheese and marjoram.
• Bake until topping is heated through and edges of pizza are brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Cut into squares.

EGGPLANT AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large deep skillet, when hot saute the garlic in olive oil.
• Add eggplant and cook about 3 minutes, until it begins to soften.
• Coarsely chop tomatoes and add them to the skillet along with the juices.
• Season with salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered about 15-20 minutes.
• Add fresh chopped herbs and serve over your favorite pasta.

EGGPLANT, TOMATO, AND FONTINA PIZZA RECIPE | EPICURIOUS.COM

Steps:

• Prepare pizza toppings:
• Sprinkle eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a colander and let drain in sink, turning slices occasionally, 30 minutes.
• Finely chop together basil, mint, and garlic. Toss with tomatoes in a bowl, then drain in a sieve set over bowl.
• Preheat broiler.
• Rinse eggplant, then pat dry in batches between paper towels, pressing firmly to remove excess liquid. Brush both sides of slices with oil (about 4 tablespoons total) and form small stacks, then cut stacks into quarters. Arrange eggplant pieces in 1 layer in 2 shallow heavy baking pans and broil, 1 pan at a time, about 5 to 6 inches from heat, turning eggplant over once, until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Cool eggplant to room temperature.
• Put pizza stone in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F (allow 1 hour for pizza stone to heat).
• Assemble pizzas:
• Do not punch down dough. Gently dredge 1 piece of dough in flour to coat, then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper set on baking peel or baking sheet. Holding 1 edge of floured dough in the air with both hands and letting bottom touch parchment, carefully move hands around edge of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing weight of dough to stretch it to a round roughly 10 inches in diameter. Lay round on parchment and adjust shape as needed.
• Discard any liquid exuded from tomatoes and toss tomatoes with remaining tablespoon oil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl. Brush dough round with oil and scatter half of eggplant, half of tomatoes, and half of cheese over it, leaving a 1-inch border around edge. Line up far edge of peel with far edge of pizza stone and tilt peel down, jerking it gently to start pizza moving. Slide pizza, along with parchment, onto stone and bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove pizza from oven by sliding peel under paper. Transfer pizza to a cutting board and discard parchment.
• While first pizza is baking, assemble second pizza on another sheet of parchment, then bake in same manner.