Tomato Eggplant Basil Pizza and Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese Pizza
I bought a baking stone when we first moved into our current apartment. It was cheap, like $12 from Bed Bath and Beyond, and I used it maybe twice to make pizza (and one loaf of bread, that failed for other reasons, not the baking stone) before it broke in half (while baking a pizza). Even though I had very limited quality time with the baking stone, I can still almost taste the difference between pizza baked on a hot stone versus a cookie sheet. The stone is pre-warmed in the oven and evenly soaks up all the heat (think: hot sidewalks in the summer), so that when you slide your pizza on it, it bakes your pizza crust through direct contact with the bottom of the pizza, resulting in an awesome to-die-for crust. The crust gets so amazingly crispy, yet the middle stays nice and bready, without even a hint of soggyness, no matter what toppings you put on that pizza. I’ve tried to replicate this phenomenon by pre-heating the cookie sheet, cast iron skillet, or other oven-safe saucepan, in the oven before sliding the pizza onto it. The cookie sheet just does not retain enough heat to duplicate the stone crispy crust, though the cast iron skillet came very close. Anyway, someday I plan on buying another baking stone, but in the meantime, here’s some great pizzas I ate this week.
These may be non-conventional toppings for a pizza.. but they were totally tasty. I heart eggplant parmesan, and recently had a delicious eggplant parmesan flatbread panini (at this super awesome lunch-time cafe near the law firm I worked at in Boston financial district) which consisted very simply of roasted eggplant slices, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Which are pretty much all the ingredients that went on top of my first pizza. The second pizza was inspired by this butternut squash tart I had seen awhile ago.. I have just translated it to pizza format, and added goat cheese. Because who doesn’t love goat cheese? (Also, we have a 1/2 pound log from Costco that we are doggedly working our way through…)
Simple Pizza Dough
makes enough for one 9 or 12 inch pizza
adapted from Bon Appetit March 2007
3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope active dry yeast (equivalent to 2 1/4 tsp)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
- Pour warm water into a medium sized bowl, stir in yeast and sugar and let stand until they dissolve, about 5 minutes. (You will see foam at the surface if the yeast are alive and kicking.)
- Add flour, salt, and olive oil to the bowl. Stir the mixture until it comes together in a loose shaggy ball. Dump out the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and any loose clumps and flour bits. Knead it all together into a homogeneous ball, for about 5 minutes, the dough will get smoother.
- Lightly the oil the bowl (a spritz of cooking spray works nicely), dump the dough back in the bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place, until the dough doubles in size (about 1-2 hours).
- Gently press the air out of the dough. Gather the dough and fold into a ball. Cover with saran wrap and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven (and stone or baking sheet in the oven) to the highest baking temperature possible and prepare your toppings!
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness desired or size desired. Place toppings on, then transfer pizza to the oven. I usually prep my pizza on a piece of parchment paper and then just slide the whole paper onto the baking sheet in the oven.
- Bake pizza for about 10 minutes (that’s probably the longest you’d be able to wait to eat your pizza anyway), until cheese is melted and the toppings and crust are slightly browned.
Tomato Eggplant Basil Topping
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
1 tomato, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2-3 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced
2-3 sprigs of basil, roughly chopped (or not)
2 ounces grated parmigiano reggiano
olive oil
salt
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Toss eggplant rounds with enough olive oil to lightly coat each slice (about 2-3 tablespoons), or alternatively, use a brush to coat each side with olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Place into the oven and roast until light brown, about 5-8 minutes each side.
- Place eggplant, tomato, mozzarella and basil on the pizza dough. Sprinkle with additional pinch of salt and a little olive oil (if desired).
Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Topping
1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon butter
2 ounces goat cheese
olive oil
salt
- Toss butternut squash with about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper, and arrange in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes, until the squash is tender.
- Carmelize the onions by heating the butter in a small saucepan over medium low. Add onions along with a pinch of salt and sugar. Stir occasionally, and continue to cook for about 20 minutes, until the onions are browned.
- Arrange roasted butternut squash, onions, and chunks of goat cheese on the pizza dough. If I had had some fresh thyme or sage, I think that would have been a great addition as well.
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