A Pizza Parade + Pizzette di Melanzane

Did you know that February 9th has been designated as National Pizza Day? I didn't either, but I saw multiple posts flying around the blogosphere with the hashtag - #PizzaDay - and decided to join the pizza party. Really. I have a ton of pizza posts as it's a Friday evening standard and so incredibly flexible.

A Pizza Parade

So, I'm sharing a parade of my more oddball pizzas because I'm sure you'll come across a ton of pepperoni, Hawaiian, and cheese pies tomorrow. Click on the title to go to the original recipe post. I've previously shared...

Arugula Pesto Pizza with Roasted Pears and Provolone

'Nduja Pizza

Pizza alle Vongole

And, then, there are pizza variations such folded pies and sauceless pies!

Calzoni Quattro Stagioni

Schiacciata all'Uva

But as my husband and I try to reduce grains and gluten in our lives, pizza nights - for us, anyway - are necessarily getting a little bit more creative. I decided to make mini pizzas with slices of eggplant. This still needs a little refinement, but it'll do.

Pizzette di Melanzane

We love eggplant and I figured this was an easy way to make a gluten-free pizza for my husband. Yum!

Ingredients

one 8-9" organic eggplant
olive oil
freshly ground salt
freshly ground pepper
1 C fresh tomato sauce
1/3 C freshly grated parmesan + more for serving
1/3 C freshly grated mozzarella
whatever toppings you want - we used roasted red peppers, Serrano ham, and capers

Procedure

Slice the eggplant into 3/4" thick slices. Sprinkle generously with salt and let stand for about 20 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices over and sprinkle the other side with salt and let stand again about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Blot eggplant of all moisture and salt. Place on a parchment-lined or silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the top and bake for 25 minutes.

Spread tomato sauce on top of each eggplant slice and cover with grated cheese. Top with whatever you wish and return the pan to the oven. Turn the heat up to 450 degrees F. Bake until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Serve with more grated cheese.

Comments

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream

As we headed inland from the coast, I cringed as the temperature gauge in the car for outside temp climbed into the triple digits. Ugh. I'm a rather wimpy central coastal Californian who begins to wilt when it's 70 degrees outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a planned ice cream stop. When I parked the car outside Frozen Art Gourmet Ice Cream in Santa Rosa, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. We knew that we still had to get to the campsite...and set up our tents in the heat. But we were going to enjoy the cool, sweet treats from Frozen Art first! Michoacana ice creameries are the equivalent of Starbucks in Mexico; they're ubiquitous. Purists, however, claim that operating a true Michoacana ice cream shop require ties to Tocumbo. It's estimated that almost ninety percent of the Tocumban population is currently employed in the ice cream business from making ice cream itself to making equipment. But the real art of Tocumban ice creams: imaginat...

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog