Best 8 Tomato Basil And Eggplant Flatbread With Blue Cheese Recipes

ALMOST-FAMOUS TOMATO, BASIL AND MOZZARELLA FLATBREAD SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Make the flatbread: Stir the yeast, sugar and 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F) in a bowl. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil and mix with your hands into a smooth dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; set aside in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until slightly elastic, dusting with more flour if the dough is too sticky to handle, about 5 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and set aside again until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Brush 2 baking sheets with olive oil. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, dusting with more flour if needed. Cut the dough in half and form into 2 balls. Roll out each ball into a 12-by-3-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Transfer each dough rectangle to one of the prepared baking sheets and let rest, uncovered, until a dry crust forms on top, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, position racks in the middle and lower thirds of the oven. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the bottom rack and preheat to 475 degrees F for at least 40 minutes.
• Press your fingertips through the dry crust on top of the dough to create a spotted pattern. Gently stretch each piece of dough into a 14-by-4-inch rectangle, then brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put 1 baking sheet of dough on the pizza stone and bake until the bottom of the bread is golden brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the middle rack and continue baking until golden all over, about 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the top of the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt; let cool on the baking sheet on a rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, mustard and dried basil in a bowl. Add the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
• Assemble the sandwiches: Slice each flatbread in half horizontally and brush with the dressing. Top the bread bottoms with the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper and cover with the bread tops. Cut into pieces.

EGGPLANT MARINARA FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle eggplant with salt and pepper. Place in skillet. Cover. Cook until tender, turning, 10 minutes. Transfer to plate. Brush cut side of bottom half of bread with rest of oil. Cook in skillet, cut side down, until golden, 1 minute.
• Place bread, cut side up, on baking sheet. Spread with 3/4 cup sauce. Crumble goat cheese over; sprinkle with chopped basil. Top with eggplant. Mound mozzarella on eggplant; spoon remaining sauce over.
• Bake bread until topping is hot and crust is crisp, about 12 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces. Garnish with basil leaves

TOMATO, BASIL AND EGGPLANT FLATBREAD WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• FOR THE FLATBREAD DOUGH: In a measuring cup, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Set aside until yeast is bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in olive oil. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose and whole- wheat flours, salt and pepper. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
• Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured board or other work surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour just when the dough sticks to your hands or work surface. until the dough is smooth.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let set in a warm, draft-free place until it's doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and then divide it into 4 equal pieces. Knead each dough piece on a lightly floured work surface for 1 minute into a tight ball. Set dough balls on an oiled tray and refrigerate, covered, for 20 minutes or longer. (Dough can be made up to 1 day in advance. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.)
• FOR THE ROASTED EGGPLANT SLICES: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak the eggplant slices in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Spritz 2 baking sheets with olive oil. Arrange slices in a single layer on the sheets and then spritz them with more oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and reserve for use.
• TO ASSEMBLE THE FLATBREADS: Place a pizza stone on the lowest rack of the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, press a ball of Flatbread Dough into a disc, then roll it in a thin circle about 1/8 inch thick.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured wooden pizza paddle. Spritz the dough with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with some cooked minced garlic (or roasted garlic paste). Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Add 3 to 4 eggplant slices, then 6 or 7 torn fresh basil leaves. Add 2 to 3 tomato slices. Top with 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese and a few twists of black pepper.
• Spritz with a little more olive oil, then gently slide the dough off the wooden paddle and onto the pizza stone. Bake 4 to 6 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove flatbread with the paddle onto a cutting surface and slice.
• Repeat the process with the remaining three flatbread discs.
• TIP 1: If you prepare the dough and eggplant in advance and arrange all your other ingredients before starting, you can assemble each of these flatbreads in about 2 minutes, plus 4 to 6 minutes baking time.
• TIP 2: When it comes to toppings, less is more --- don't lay them on too thick. And get yourself a pizza stone and a wooden pizza paddle in order to handle and cook the thin crust properly.

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND BASIL ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Trim the ends from the eggplant and slice lengthwise 1/8-inch thick.
• Place each eggplant slice on a lightly sprayed saute pan over medium low heat to slightly toast. The eggplant should be moist and pliable. Keep the saute pan warm.
• Slice the tomatoes 1/8-inch thick.
• Lay the eggplant slices flat and lay a tomato slice at the bottom and place a basil leaf on top of the tomato. Grind some fresh pepper over the basil/tomato. Combine the cheeses and sprinkle a teaspoon of the cheeses and a pinch of the chile on top of the basil leaf.
• Roll-up the eggplant/tomato lengthwise and place seam side down in the warmed saute pan. Repeat until all the eggplant are rolled up. Bring the heat up to medium and slightly sear the roll-ups. Turn to brown all sides.

BASIL FLATBREAD WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND BASIL OIL

Steps:

• Pour 1/3 cup warm water into large bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over; let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Mix 2/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup room-temperature water into yeast mixture. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
• Stir olive oil and salt into yeast mixture. Mix in 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until slightly sticky dough forms. Add basil. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is too sticky, about 10 minutes. Oil large bowl. Add dough; turn to coat. Cover with plastic. Let rise in warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Punch dough down. Turn out onto floured surface. Divide in half; knead each piece just until smooth. Cover with towel; let rise until almost doubled, 20 minutes.
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Roll out each dough piece on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer each to separate baking sheet. Brush top side with Basil Oil. Place bread, oiled side down, on barbecue. Grill until bottom is golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Brush top of bread with Basil Oil. Using tongs, turn bread over; grill until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover loosely with foil; let stand at room temperature. Before continuing, prepare barbecue; use medium-high heat.)
• Brush breads with some Basil Oil. Arrange Roasted Tomatoes on breads. Loosely cover breads with foil; grill until heated through, watching closely, about 4 minutes. Drizzle with more Basil Oil. Cut each bread into 6 pieces.

EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO-MINT SAUCE AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with oil spray. Arrange eggplant rounds on prepared sheets; brush lightly with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes. Turn rounds over and bake until tender and golden, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with their juices, mint and oregano and simmer until sauce thickens and is reduced to 1 3/4 cups, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon half of tomato sauce into shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange eggplant rounds atop sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon remaining sauce over. Sprinkle cheese over. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.

EGGPLANT SANDWICHES W/ GOAT CHEESE, TOMATO, & BASIL

Steps:

• For the basil oil: combine the olive oil and basil leaves in a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Process until pureed (there will be some sediment), about 5 minutes. Strain into a squeeze bottle. May be refrigerated for 1 day; use at room temperature. Makes about 1 1/4 cup.
• For the sandwiches: combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic and divide between two large bowls. Add the eggplant to one bowl and the tomatoes to the other and let marinade 1 hour, refrigerated.
• Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high.
• Remove the eggplant and tomatoes from the marinade, shaking off any excess, and season with salt and pepper on both sides. (Discard the used marinade). Grill the eggplant until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side; grill the tomatoes just until marked.
• Place 8 slices of eggplant on a work surface and top each with a slice of tomato. Place a slice of goat cheese over the tomato and sprinkle with the basil (some basil will be left over). Cover with the remaining eggplant slices. Place the sandwiches on the grill just until the cheese has softened, about 1 minute, turning once (DH says he won't turn the sandwiches next time as it made them a bit messy).
• Arrange the eggplant sandwiches on a platter and drizzle with the basil oil.

EGGPLANT ROLLS FILLED WITH BASIL AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce:
• In a heavy skillet cook the onion in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes, stir in the garlic, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the tomatoes, the sugar, and salt to taste and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 20 minutes. Force the mixture through the fine disk of a food mill set over a saucepan and cook the sauce over moderately high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is thickened to the desired consistency.
• Make the eggplant rolls:
• With a hand-held slicing device or large sharp knife cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle the slices on both sides with salt and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes. In a bowl stir together the mozzarella, the goat cheese, and the shredded basil. Pat the eggplant dry, arrange one layer of it on the oiled rack of a broiler pan, and brush it with some of the oil. Broil the eggplant under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is golden. Turn the eggplant, brush it with some of the remaining oil, and broil it for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until it is golden. Transfer the eggplant to a large platter to cool and broil the remaining eggplant, brushing it with the remaining oil, in the same manner. Spread a mounded teaspoon of the cheese mixture lengthwise down the middle of each eggplant slice, leaving a 1-inch border at the wide end, and, beginning at the narrow end, roll up the eggplant jelly-roll fashion. Arrange the rolls, seam sides down, in an oiled flameproof shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer and broil them for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is just melted and bubbling.
• Transfer the eggplant rolls with a spatula to serving plates, spoon the tomato sauce over them, and garnish the rolls with the basil leaves. Makes about 12 rolls.