This Mom's Favorite Pizza

...also known as Pioneer Woman's Favorite Pizza

Heaven, I'm in heaven. And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. This is the song that plays over and over again in my head while eating this pizza. I love it. I love it a whole lot. I'll pretty much tell anyone who will listen just how wonderful this pizza is. In fact, most of you reading this have probably already heard my spiel and you've probably heard it more than once. Well this is the last time, I promise. Just do yourself a favor and make this pizza, please.

Crust

1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

2 cups bread flour

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/4 cup Olive oil

3/4 cup warm water

Pizza

1 large eggplant

Kosher salt 

1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes

2 tsp. chopped garlic

8 oz. mozzarella, sliced thinly or grated

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

TO MAKE THE CRUST

Sprinkle yeast over 3/4 cup warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and olive oil. Mix with wooden spoon until combined. Form dough into a ball. Lightly oil another bowl. Place dough in bowl and toss to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge until you need it. Dough will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA

Preheat oven broiler. Remove dough from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

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 grape tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss into a bowl with minced garlic. Set aside.

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 tomato/garlic mixture. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and set aside. (May do this 1 hour in advance.)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin. Let dough rest for 20 minutes. Lightly drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and use fingers to spread. Sprinkle mozzarella over the surface of the dough. Spread vegetables all over the surface of the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from pan and slice with a pizza cutter.

Are you drooling a little? You should be.

Review - Everyone loves this pizza, toddler, baby, husband, dog, everyone. I've made it around ten times now and it's one of the best things to come out of this kitchen. The key to preparing eggplant is the salt. You need the salt to draw out the bitterness. Do not skip this step. It's my firm belief that people who say that they don't like eggplant haven't had it prepared correctly. Even if you're not a fan of eggplant at least try the crust. It's amazing. Prior to giving up meat, my second favorite pizza to make, using this crust, was an Italian sausage, sauteed red onion, and sauteed mushroom pizza.

Polenta Pie

I received The New Moosewood Cookbook for Christmas this year and this is the first recipe I've decided to try. We all love polenta, so hopefully this is a winner.

1.5 cups coarse cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups cold water
2 cups boiling water
a little olive oil

Ingredients for filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced bell pepper
10 mushrooms, sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 teaspoons dried basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
fresh black pepper
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
2 small, or 1 medium, ripe tomato, sliced

1. Combine cornmeal, salt, and cold water in a small bowl. Have the boiling water on the stove in a saucepan, and add the cornmeal mixture, whisking. Cook about 10 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently. It will get very thick. Remove from heat, and let cool until you can handle it.

2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 10-inch pie pan. Add the polenta, and use a spatula and wet hands to form it into a smooth, thick crust over the bottom and sides of the pan. Brush the surface with olive oil, and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

3. While the crust bakes, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add the onion, and saute for 5-8 minutes, or until it begins to soften. Add bell pepper, mushrooms, and zucchini, and saute just a few minutes more.

4. Turn up the oven to broiling temperature. Sprinkle half the cheese onto the bottom of the baked crust, then add the tomato slices. Spread the sauteed mixture over the tomatoes, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Broil until brown (about 5 minutes) and serve hot.

Review - This was pretty good. Even though I took it out early, I think I might have overcooked the crust. It was a tad crunchy on the bottom. I used a 9x13 baking pan instead of a 10-inch pie plate, so I probably should have decreased the cooking time more than I did. Jay said this was a little bland and would be better with a layer of pesto on the crust. I think he's right. Josie ate her square (and three servings of spinach salad, yeah I'm bragging). Eli chewed on a piece of zucchini and then spit it out. Poor guy had 5 teeth coming in, so he's not the best judge.  The veggie combo was great. I'll make this again, but add the pesto.


Please excuse my photography skills. I've never taken pictures of food before. You wouldn't think that taking a picture of something that can't get up and run away would be hard, but it is. Hopefully my photography skills, along with my cooking skills, will improve throughout the year.