Eggplant Flatbread

Delicious and so easy to make! If you don't like eggplant or one of the other ingredients, use your imagination and throw whatever suits your fancy on it. The flatbread recipe is easy to mix up in large batches and keeps well, covered, in the fridge for later use. It's helpful to have a pizza stone, but I don't own this particular tool and got great results on a standard baking sheet. It would be even better on a grill pan.  Just remember to get your flatbread dough rolled out as flat as possible!

Eggplant, Onion, and Olive Flatbread Pizza

Toppings

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 pound eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces sliced provolone, cut into short thin matchsticks (1 1/4 cups)
  
• 2 ounces grated parmesan or romano peccorino cheese
• 18 pitted green olives, coarsely chopped (1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Flatbread Dough 

makes enough for a large thin crust pizza, serving 4-6

1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)

1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
1 tablespoon olive oil

To make your dough (can be made in advance):

Stir dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil,scraping the bowl periodically to make a rough ball mass. Dump the dough mass on a floured surface with all of the un-cooperative bits that have separated and knead everything into a uniform ball.

Knead your mass for a minute or two. If your dough has become tough to manipulate, give it a break; cover the whole messy shebang with a towel and leave it to sit for 5-10 minutes. When you return, you will find your dough to have puffed up and become easier to knead. Flour up and get back to it, shaping into a smooth a ball as you can manage. After a minute of this, it's time to oil her up! If you have an oil spritzer, spritz a bowl evenly to coat. If like me, you don't own this apparatus, take a marinating brush (I use a clean medium round painting brush from my art supply box!) and lightly brush the ball with the olive oil. Done! Dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and leave it to rest for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size. I put mine in the oven with the oven light on, which helps the dough rise and keeps it out of the way while I prepare the other ingredients for the pizza.

After an hour or so, fetch your dough and dump it back on your floured surface, and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under  plastic wrap for 20-40 more minutes.

Sprinkle your pizza stone/ baking sheet/grill pan with flour or cornmeal(for a crunchier, grittier texture) and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza with a rolling pin, stretching the dough carefully to avoid breaking it and forming craters. I had misplaced my rolling pin when I made this, and stretched it by hand. If you're having issues with getting a uniform texture, spritz or brush with water very lightly to keep the dough pliable. If you do develop a hole, pinch a bit of dough off from one of the ends and patch it. 

Toppings

Cut the eggplant in thin rounds(1/4 to a 1/2 an inch) and place them with a big sprinkle of salt and pepper on a plate for an hour. This will allow the bitter juices to form on the surface. Pat them with a paper towel before using to soak up the brown juices. Sautee the eggplant slices with the chopped garlic, onion and oil until slightly softened . . don't overcook!

Layer the eggplant, garlic, sliced and pitted olives, and onion with the provolone matchsticks on your pizza dough. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan and parsley and a dusting of cracked red  pepper. Slide your creation into the preheated oven (top temperature) and roast for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has blistered and the crust has browned. Enjoy with a velvety pinot noir.