Tuesday, March 2

Eggplant, Olive & Pesto Pizza

This doesn't look like just any pizza, does it? Let me tell you that it's not. For one thing, it is jam packed with all things yummy — silky roasted eggplant, garlic spiked roasted tomatoes, salty kalamata olives, buttery pesto (seriously, I licked the spoon and said, out loud, 'omg, that is like butter!'), tangy feta cheese and lots of grated white cheddar (it's all I had left in the fridge). The next thing about this pizza that makes it special is the crust. It is made of puff pastry. Of course I didn't make it from scratch, I defrosted a frozen puff pastry sheet and there was my crust — light, airy and crispy. This crust can work with any toppings you want, how simply and easy!

Eggplant, Olive & Pesto Pizza
1 puff pastry sheet - yields 6 square pieces
3 korean eggplants (they are smaller and narrower than regular american eggplants, but those will work as
well)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Pinch of cumin
olive oil
1/2 lb grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
1 garlic, chopped finely
spoonful of pesto (mine is from tj's and is awesome)
shredded cheese, any will work
kalamata olives, pitted
feta cheese

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take out 1 puff pastry sheet and defrost on the counter, this will take about
40 minutes.
2 Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise and brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with cumin.
Do this with all 6 halves. Broil for about 10 minutes on each side until soft and bruised. (I did this the night before using the
toaster oven and kept the roasted eggplants in the fridge overnight but you can do this the day of as well).
Cube up the eggplant and set aside.
3 Slice up the tomatoes and chopped garlic and mix. Broil for about 5-7 minutes until softened and starting
to break down. (you can broil the eggplant and tomatoes at the same time)
4 Once the puff pastry is defrosted, roll it out a bit thinner and prick with a fork all over. Brush the
outer edge (what will end up the crust) with olive oil and cover the interior with pesto, smoothing with the
back of a large spoon.
5 Next, top with shredded cheese then the eggplant, tomato/garlic mixture, then the olives then the feta and
then top with more shredded cheese!
6 Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

11 comments:

♥peachkins♥ said...

This pizza looks amazing!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

This pizza is droolworthy! What a delicious creation!

Cheers,

Rosa

Lea Ann said...

I think this sounds wonderful. Wouldn't this be great cut into little squares and served as an appetizer. Gotta give this a try. Thanks for sharing.

Erin said...

Sounds like a great combination of flavors! Did it get soggy in the middle, though? I used to have that issue, and learned a great trick at work. If you pre-bake the puff pastry between two sheet trays, it will be crisp instead of soggy, and the sheet tray on top will keep it from puffing up too much. I was so excited when I figured that out!

(Also, for some reason your post is cutting off the right side of the sentences, at least for me??)

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

I just love puff pastry. Wonderful looking pizza. I bet it tasted perfect.

Jescel said...

this looks like a yummy and healthy alternative than regular pizza! great job.

allyn said...

i love using puff pastry sheets for pizza ideas. haven't tried this combo yet. the pictures are fantastic! must try. tanks for sharing!

Colleen said...

Great toppings! And I love how it's on a puff pastry.

Soma said...

A stunning pizza! like every bit of it.

test it comm said...

What a amazingly tasty pizza!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I agree with peachkins...it does look amazing and I don't even like tomatoes!
~ingrid