chargrilled aubergine pizza

Aubergines are not a veggie that we have ever grown on our allotment, mainly because two important things are missing; namely, reliably hot summers or a greenhouse!

However, I love aubergines.
 They are real beauties in the vegetable world with their glossy, smooth skin in shades of deepest ..um ...aubergine.

Aubergines are always eaten cooked and often with olive oil which transforms the flesh into silky unctuousness.

The inspiration for this recipe came from drizzle and dip and I used Hugh's magic bread dough  for the base.

 

 

Once the dough is made... (and the handy thing is that the recipe makes more than enough for one good sized pizza, so the rest can be squirrelled away in the freezer) ...the assembly is quick and easy, meaning you can have your pizza in the time it would take to have one delivered.. well almost!

 

For the topping you will need:

1 aubergine

a tablespoon or 2 of pesto, bought or home made

the same amount of tomato sauce, tomato paste or well drained chopped tinned tomatoes

grated mozzarella, as much or as little as you like

goat's cheese (optional)

olive oil

 

Pre-heat the oven to its highest setting

 

 Cut the aubergine into thinnish rounds, brush lightly with olive oil and grill until just softened.

 

 

Take about a third of the dough and roll out as thinly as possible. Spread a thin layer of pesto over the base, followed by the tomato sauce.

Sprinkle the mozzarella over, then arrange the aubergine slices on top and dot with blobs of goat's cheese and season with black pepper.

 

Slide onto a preheated baking sheet or pizza stone and cook for about 15 minutes.