Meatless Monday: Eggplant Pizza

Here's an update for everyone: artichokes are a colossal pain in the butt. The amount of actual "meat" you get off of one of those spiny little globes is almost non-existent. And it sure doesn't equate to the amount of work that goes into them (boiling, grilling, covering in sauce and finally attempting to eat). 

Why am I ranting about artichokes? Grilled artichokes with spicy tomato mayo was supposed to be our Meatless Monday post. When I originally told my mom we were making artichokes, her exact words were, "I buy artichokes in a jar. The way God intended us to". Damn. Mom was right again. 

Luckily, we were also making eggplant pizzas the same night, so we had a back up plan! Sadly, we didn't capture as many pictures as we wanted to (damn you, artichokes)- but we put our own Cool Dads spin (ie: grilling) on these pizzas, and they were delicious. But what did we expect with a Julia Child recipe?

Cool Dad's Eggplant Pizzas
(Recipe inspired by: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2012/08/recipe-for-julia-childs-eggplant-pizzas.html)

Ingredients:
1 globe eggplant, about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long
about 1 T salt, for drawing water out of eggplant
about 2 T olive oil, for brushing eggplant before grilling
about 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, for sprinkling on eggplant before grilling
10 large basil leaves, cut in thin strips (optional)
freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
hot red pepper flakes for sprinkling finished pizza (optional)

Sauce Ingredients:
2-3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) good quality petite diced tomatoes with liquid (or use 2 cups peeled and diced fresh tomatoes)
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend
1/4 tsp. dried oregano (use Greek or Turkish oregano)

Instructions:

Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness!) Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid. While the eggplant is sitting, prepare the grill to medium heat.

To prepare the sauce, heat 2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan) and saute the finely chopped garlic just until it becomes fragrant. (Don't let it brown.) Add the petite diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano and let the sauce cook at a low simmer until it's thickened, breaking up the tomatoes with a fork as it cooks. (Add water as needed, a few tablespoons at a time as the sauce cooks, keeping it hot by simmering at very low heat until it's needed for the eggplant slices.)

After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels (this also removes most of the salt.)  Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil, and place on the grill, sprinkling the tops with Italian seasonings. Grill the eggplants for 8-10 minutes, until they are firm. 

After about 8 minutes, top the eggplant slices with the tomato mixture, and a small sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Put the lid on the grill for a minute- allowing the cheese to melt slightly. Once pizzas are removed from the grill, sprinkle with fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve hot, with red pepper flakes to sprinkle on pizza if desired.

This was a fun take on the traditional pizza, and a recipe enhanced by grilling. The same can not be said for our friends the artichokes! 

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew