Eggplant Pan Pizza

Eggplant Pan Pizza

Leila
Dinner, Pizza, Vegetarian, Yeast Bread

Although it's really a fruit, eggplant is still one of my favorite vegetables.  Tom Brady might not eat it because it's a nightshade and therefore causes "inflammation," but I'm not a professional athlete so I don't mind.

Anyways, as much as I love Eggplant Parmesan, sometimes I think the crisp beauty of the breaded eggplant gets lost underneath all the sauce and cheese.  In my opinion, breaded eggplant is at its best when I can truly taste the crunchiness of the breading (made even crunchier with panko breadcrumbs!), so that's why I love my breaded eggplant atop a pizza.  The key is to slice the eggplant thin; otherwise you'll have too much topping, and your dough will run the risk of not baking through all the way.  Read more.

Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce

Leila
Gluten-Free

I am very passionate about my tomato sauce.  It plays a starring role in my two favorite meals: pizza, and spaghetti with meatballs.  It also plays a starring role in my childhood memories.  Although my mom wasn't Italian, sauce was one of the first things my Italian grandmother (I love this picture of my grandparent's wedding day) taught her new daughter-in-law how to make.  I have very clear memories of the orange colored enamel pot of sauce simmering on the stove for hours.  My mom simmered the sauce with a beef braciole (Neopolitan style because my family is from outside of Naples), as well as my childhood favorite pigskin braciole (coodica).  The pigskin gave the sauce an amazing flavor and velvety texture.  As there were no other sauces I could compare it to (we never ate out or went to anybody's house for dinner), it wasn't until I was an adult that I could appreciate the excellence of my grandmother's sauce.  All these years later, I've mostly remained faithful to my grandmother's sauce-making method.  The only exception is that I substitute other umami flavor boosters in place of the bracioles... not only do those meats take a long time to simmer, but pigskin is very difficult to find.  Read more.

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise

Leila
Gluten-Free, Condiment

I was never a big fan of mayonnaise.  That is, until I started making my own.  Compared to the leading brands, mine is creamier and lighter (thanks to the egg whites), more flavorful (thanks to the dijon mustard, lemon juice, and wine vinegar) and better for you. 

Traditionally, mayonnaise is notoriously difficult to make because the raw egg yolks constantly cause it to break (never attempt the traditional version on a rainy day—the humidity is the culprit).  But my mayonnaise—which uses poached eggs instead of raw eggs—is much more forgiving.  I love it on pretty much any sandwich... a BLT, a turkey sandwich, a veggie sandwich, etc.   Read more.

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

Leila
Quick Bread

I'm a fan of many pumpkin-flavored things, including bread, scones, and pie, but not everything (sorry, pumpkin spice latte).  I also happen to be a big advocate of canned pumpkin.  It's an old and mostly true cliché that "nothing's better than the real thing," but I'm not sure how true that is with pumpkin.  In order to bake with a real sugar pumpkin, a cook must roast it and then cook down its watery flesh until the texture is correct.  This process is neither easy nor consistent, so I always use canned pumpkin. 

I do love to have a nice crust on the top of my pumpkin bread, which is why my recipe begins with a butter and flour roux.  When added to the batter, this combination of ingredients results in a beautifully crisp crust (this crust tends to soften overnight, but will happily regain its crispiness when heated or toasted).  It also results in a super moist bread, evading the Play-Doh-y texture common among dense quick breads.  So if you're tempted to skip the roux, trust me when I say that it's worth the few extra minutes.  Read more.

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