Sicilian Deep Dish Eggplant Aubergine Pizza Recipes

SICILIAN DEEP DISH EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) PIZZA

Steps:

• Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
• Lightly spoon 2 3/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.
• Add flour, oil and salt to yeast mixture, stirring to form a soft dough.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).
• Add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.
• Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
• Punch dough down; divide dough in half.
• Roll each half of dough into a 11 inch circle on a lightly floured surface.
• Place the prepared pizza dough into 2 9-inch cake pans that are lightly greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Press dough up the sides of the pan.
• Cover and let rise until puffy-- about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Combine eggplant and next 3 ingredients.
• Place eggplant mixture on a jelly roll pan, spreading evenly.
• Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, or until tender.
• Remove eggplant from oven and increase oven temperature to 400°F.
• Combine eggplant mixture, artichokes and next 6 ingredients, dividing it equally between the pizza crusts.
• Top with cheese.
• Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes or until crusts are lightly browned.

SICILIAN PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, salt and the yeast in a medium bowl. Pour the warm water into a large bowl, then add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil to make a very sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting with more flour as needed, until the dough comes together and no longer sticks to your fingers, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Coat an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the dough and stretch it to fit the baking sheet. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until puffy, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Make the sauce: Combine the tomatoes and their juices and the salt in a medium bowl and crush well with your hands or a potato masher. Uncover the dough and sprinkle with salt. Gently place the baking sheet in the oven (the dough might deflate if it is knocked). Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven, top with the sliced mozzarella and cover with 2 cups of the crushed tomatoes. Bake until the cheese is bubbling through the sauce and starts browning, 15 to 20 more minutes.
• Let the pizza stand 10 minutes, then remove from the pan using a spatula and transfer to a cutting board. Let cool 1 to 2 minutes before slicing.