Grilled Eggplant Pizza

Votes: 5

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

Pizza is undoubtedly one of the most popular and beloved dishes. Although everyone considers pizza an Italian dish, Italians borrowed it from the Greeks, who baked sheets of dough seasoned with herbs and olive oil on hot stones. The classic eggplant pizza recipe, Pizza Parmigiana, is made with fried eggplant, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, tomato puree, and olive oil. However, this pizza can be cooked not only in the oven but also on the grill. It turns out incredibly delicious and flavorful, very reminiscent of an authentic Italian oven-baked pizza.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

1 pizza base
3 eggplants (total weight about 1.3 kg), sliced about 2 cm thick.
Olive oil for greasing vegetables, plus about 1/4 cup more.
2 large red or yellow bell peppers
Flour for dusting
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano leaves
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
About 1 cup pitted olives
About 225 gr. coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
3 cups arugula
Balsamic vinegar

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Prepare the grill and let half the coals burn down, or preheat a gas grill to medium heat.
Place the eggplants in a colander over another bowl, season with salt and let them drain for 30 minutes, then rinse and dry.

Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and season with pepper. Toss the bell pepper with a little olive oil. Transfer the vegetables to the grill. Grill the eggplants until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes.
Before turning, make sure the areas between the grill bars are well-browned. Then remove the eggplants from the heat and grill the other side until tender, about 10 minutes. Cut the grilled slices into cubes a little over a centimeter thick.
Fry the peppers until charred, turning as needed. Remove the peppers to a bowl. Cover and let them steam until the skins peel off. Once the peppers have cooled, peel them, remove the seeds, and cut into long, thin strips.
Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll the balls with the palm of your hand on a flourless surface. This will cause the dough to stick slightly to the surface, creating tension that helps form a firm, round ball.
Then, dust your work surface with flour, lightly press each ball into a ball, sprinkle more flour on top, cover with a towel, and let the dough rise for 15 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a circle 20-22 cm in diameter and about 0.3 cm thick.
Preheat the grill to medium. Place bowls next to the grill with 1/4 cup olive oil, eggplant, peppers, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes (if using), olives, and cheese.
Brush each dough circle with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place them on the grill, oiled side up, and grill until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Then flip them over and, working quickly, brush each circle with another 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Next, sprinkle each circle with 1/6 of the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes (if using), eggplant, bell pepper, olives, and cheese.
Cover the grill and cook until the dough circles are golden brown on the bottom and the cheese is melted, about 7 minutes total. Place the finished pizzas on plates, top with arugula, and drizzle with a little vinegar. Serve immediately.