Middle Eastern Pizza

  2.7 – 9 reviews  • Feta
Level: Intermediate
Total: 3 hr 10 min
Prep: 20 min
Inactive: 1 hr
Cook: 1 hr 50 min
Yield: 8 servings
Level: Intermediate
Total: 3 hr 10 min
Prep: 20 min
Inactive: 1 hr
Cook: 1 hr 50 min
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  1. 1 teaspoon salt
  2. 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  3. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  4. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 1 large red onion, sliced
  6. 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  7. Olive oil
  8. 1 pound pizza dough, rested at room temperature for 1 hour
  9. 1 medium eggplant, cubed
  10. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  11. 1/4 tablespoon sumac
  12. 1 (32-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes, diced
  13. 1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, shredded
  14. 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
  15. 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
  16. 1 1/2 cups French feta cheese, crumbled
  17. 1 medium bunch fresh mint, chopped

Instructions

  1. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic powder, sumac and tomatoes and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Make the pizza: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Drizzle a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil and stretch the pizza dough to fill the pan (it doesn’t have to be perfect since this is a rustic pizza). Brush the dough with olive oil and bake until just golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and cumin, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the eggplant is tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 5 more minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Top the crust with 1 cup sauce, the mozzarella, eggplant mixture, caramelized onion, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and feta. Return to the oven and cook until the cheese melts and the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 more minutes, brushing the crust with olive oil halfway through.
  5. Remove the pizza from the oven and brush the crust with olive oil again. Top the pizza with the mint.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 8 servings
Calories 525
Total Fat 28 g
Saturated Fat 13 g
Carbohydrates 46 g
Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugar 9 g
Protein 24 g
Cholesterol 70 mg
Sodium 1051 mg
Serving Size 1 of 8 servings
Calories 525
Total Fat 28 g
Saturated Fat 13 g
Carbohydrates 46 g
Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugar 9 g
Protein 24 g
Cholesterol 70 mg
Sodium 1051 mg

Reviews

Devin Luna
yummy! but alot of prep work and 2 pots to clean for just a pizza
David Thornton
Yum! I hearty, full-flavored pizza. Great combo between the sweet onions and sun-dried tomatoes, salty olives, and meaty eggplant. Good! Suggestion on prep: go ahead and and have all ‘toppings’ prepared ahead of time…don’t try and follow recipe’s given timeline.
Amy Powell
I was looking forward to something different but this just did not deliver. I was embarrassed to serve this to friends.
Michael Green
We like middle eastern food, however, we did not like this dish. Too liquidy for one. Plus flavors didn’t meld well with pizza dough. Better to stick with a Greek salad along with a more traditional pizza, maybe adding sautéed eggplant or make it a pasta.
Justin Smith
This is a tasty pizza recipe seeing as I love everything on it, but it really is a pain in the butt to make…too many steps. We didn’t par bake the crust and it came out fine. I would use the topping ingredients (except the mint) to make a nice pasta dish I think next time.
Lisa Peck
I had to try this recipe as soon as I got my FN magazine and we were incredibly pleased with this recipe! I ended up grilling it outside on the grill and I can’t imagine it any other way. I think that you may end up with a doughy center crust if you don’t grill it or par-cook it a little in advance before toppings go on, like the recipe suggests. That’s what I did when we grilled it and then the toppings felt like a perfect balance for the super crispy crust. I looked up a substitute for sumac and a couple of sites said that lemon zest was kinda close, so that’s what I did. I really tried to follow her recipe as close as I could and I have to admit, I was skeptical on trying the mint, but it was THE thing that elevated this from good to great. Not sure if I’m the biggest fan of Penny and her tactics, but she can sure cook a great pizza!
Gary Lee
Terrible, don’t bother as there are other SIMPLER rerecipes. way too many ingredients. Simple is just better for the home cook. I use Alex G’s fried pizza recipe, that one is AWESOME.
Jennifer Richards
I have one question; what is sumac? Do I have it in my cupboard? Lol….. Hmmm? This recipe sounds good i’ll have to try it. I just am leary about making homemade pizza it always tends to burn on the bottom.
Jeffrey Peters
We love both eggplant and pizza, so we tried this last night. It became a watery, soggy mess, although the flavor was okay.

If I make it again, I will use crushed tomatoes for the sauce rather than diced, and I’ll use Alton Brown’s tip to let the mozzarella “drain” on paper towels before adding it to the pizza.

I think it’s a good idea – it just needs some tweaking.

 

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