Pissaladiere Pizza
Submitted by Mspuddingcook
Pissaladiere-style pizza with caramelized leeks, roasted eggplant, roasted peppers, capers, basil, and balsamic vinegar on a homemade whole wheat crust. Vegan-friendly.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
45 minThis pissaladiere riffs on the classic Provençal flatbread with a from-scratch yeast dough made with both all-purpose and whole wheat flour, plus dried tomato bits kneaded right into the crust for color and flavor.
The toppings are layered like a composed dish. Caramelized leeks go down first, then roasted eggplant slices sprinkled with balsamic vinegar, fresh basil leaves, a second layer of eggplant, and capers pressed into the dough. Roasted red and banana pepper strips get arranged in a sunray pattern on top for a presentation that looks like it came from a bakery in Nice.
The dough rises right in the springform pan while you assemble the toppings on top, so by the time everything is layered, it’s puffy and ready for the oven.
Chef Tips
- Caramelize the leeks slowly in water. They need time and patience to turn sweet and golden, not just wilted.
- Roast the eggplant slices in a pie pan with a little water to prevent them from drying out during the 30-minute roast.
- The tomato-colored water from rehydrating the dried tomato bits becomes part of the dough liquid. Don’t pour it down the drain.
- Peel the roasted peppers while warm using the paper bag technique or just slide the skins off after they’ve steamed.
Variations
- Traditional pissaladiere: Add anchovy fillets and Niçoise olives on top for the classic French version.
- Add goat cheese: Crumble fresh goat cheese over the leek layer for a creamy, tangy contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
Slighty roast banana pepper, and sliced eggplant in oven.
Use pie pan for the eggplant, because then you can add a little water to it as needed, as it will seem dry after some time in the oven.
These cook for about 30 minutes.
Prepare a spring form cake pan with a bit of oil or Pam, and dusted with corn meal or corn flour.
The diameter is about 8 to 9 Meanwhile, combine baker’s yeast, Sucanat and warm water, place in warm place so it will and grow and gets foamy. Then, combine 3 cups flour and salt, set aside. Slice leek and sauté in water, until carmelized (preferably). Simmer more water in another pot and add dried tomato bits, simmer a minute to get soft, drain but retain the water which will be tomato-colored. By this time the yeast will have and grown and, pour this in with the 3 cups of flour and salt, add tomato bits, and ½ cup of the tomato-water. Stir. Prepare a flat surface with corn flour, kneading some of this into the dough to get it ready to roll out. Roll out into a wide circle, about 5 inches wider than your pan. Be innovative in picking this up and placing it centered in your pan. The extra width will go up the sides of the pan. Cut a circle about 1and wider than the pan, dusted it well with the flour, then rolled it loosely to pick it up and place it in the pan, then unroll, then add the rest of the dough, packing it up along the sides. Place this in a warm spot, and fill with the cooked leek, and salt lightly. Take eggplant out of the oven, layer it over the leek, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, add a layer of basil leaves, then a second layer of eggplant, sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper. Sprinkle with capers, letting some get embedded into the dough. As you are doing all this, the dough will be rising. Dot with no fat cheese (optional). Slice the cooked red pepper and banana pepper lengthwise into 8 to 12 strips each. Peel the peppers if you can (paper bag technique may work), may be easier to peel the banana pepper before you slice, and peel the red pepper after you slice. Assemble pepper strips, alternating the two kinds, in a sunray pattern. Sprinkle everything with the remaining balsamic vinegar. Dot center with whatever you have left, a bit of nofat cheese or a basil leaf. Bake 20 to 30 minutes. Slice and serve.
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