that's what a dollar can get you

Spicy Eggplant Pizza

Eggplant has been on sale for the past two weeks for $1 each. What a deal! Last night was pizza and last week we had a baked 'n stuffed eggplant Parmesan dish.

1 large eggplant (without dry or bruised skin - look to see if the stem is very dry, if so it was likely picked quite some time ago)

3 tablespoons EVOO (for eggplant broiling)

roughly 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

3/4 cup red sauce (I used an Arrabata sauce) 

1 ball whole wheat pizza dough (I used store bought)

flour for dusting

corn meal for under pizza

Cut eggplant into 1/3-inch-thick rounds and sweat in a colander for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle liberally with salt. This will help bring the moisture out of the eggplant. Press pieces of eggplant with paper towel to dry. Arrange in 1 layer on a foil-lined large baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides with oil and season with fresh ground pepper. Broil 2 to 3 inches from heat until golden brown and tender, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Roll out dough on floured surface. Dust hot pizza stone with cornmeal. Assemble pizza (on preheated pizza stone); sauce, eggplant, cheeses. Heat oil in a small skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and red pepper, stirring, until just fragrant, 30 to 40 seconds. Spoon evenly over eggplant. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes until crust is crispy. Serve with salad - so good! 

Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use Italian)
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 (25 ounce) jar pasta sauce (I used a spicy red)

 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 container Light Garlic & Herb Alouette cheese

Sweat the eggplant as noted above. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix Parmesan cheese with bread crumbs. You need the eggs in a bowl, then breadcrumb mixture next to it. Season eggplant with pepper. Coat eggplant slices with beaten egg, then bread with crumbs. Spread oil on baking sheet and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes. Remove all eggplant slices. Lightly Pam an ovenproof baking dish, and spread a bit of sauce on the bottom. Assemble one layer of eggplant. Dollop Alouette cheese on each piece of eggplant and then place another eggplant slice on top. Cover with sauce and top with mozzarela and sprinkle some additional Parmesan.Bake until the cheese melts and turns golden in spots, about 25 minutes. Top with fresh chopped parsley.

 This dish also freezes well and can be reheated slowly in the oven (at about 350 degrees).