Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Pizza – hello wordpress!

I’ve been ‘meaning’ to switch from blogger to wordpress for ages and finally I decided to take the leap!  I’m not technically inclined – I think that logical side of me is buried deep within.  I don’t, though, hesitate to take on new projects except when it comes to computers and software.  There’s something far too technical about them that keeps me at bay.  I am what you would call WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) and I don’t want to have to think about all the ‘logical steps’ that goes into processing a command on the computer…perhaps that’s why it executes my mistakes perfectly and the end result isn’t at all what I intended it to be!  The thing is, I do enjoy using a computer but it drives me nuts when logic takes over and clouds my artistic thinking.  It usually takes me a few times to get it wrong in order to get it right or it’s the groans from my daughter when I ask her how it’s done – for the third time!  Once I master it, the magical aha! moment erupts and I feel as though I’ve mastered the hardest task in the world.  This recipe, grilled eggplant and tomato pizza, is my first posting as a WordPress blogger.  Yay!

But I digress.  Choosing someone to help migrate your site to another can seem like a daunting task but check around, ask questions and fondly enough, you’ll find someone.  That’s what happened to me.  I was searching sites using the keywords ‘blogger to wordpress migration’ and found Jeni.  Her site, The Blog Maven, is geared perfectly for what I wanted and more.  She was so patient with me and answered my wild/quirky questions.  The transition, thus far, has been seamless.  Now I have to fiddle with the design elements of my site, get out of my blogger comfort zone and get more familiar with all that wordpress has to offer.  The new layout for posting is going to take some bit to get used to but in no time I’ll look back and laugh at what I thought was difficult to do.  🙂

Serves 4

inspired by Grace Parisi

1 large eggplant (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

4 large plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

olive oil, for brushing

1/3 cup chopped green olives

1 to 2 teaspoons chili flakes

1/4 cup finely shredded basil

6 oz. Fontina cheese (or your favorite cheese), thinly sliced

Brush eggplant and tomato slices with olive oil and season lightly with salt. Grill eggplant in batches over moderately high heat, turning once, until softened and lightly charred, about 4 minutes. Place tomato slices on foil and grill until soft but still intact.

In a bowl, combine the olives, chiles and shredded basil. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In the center, arrange half of the eggplant in a 9-inch square, overlapping the slices slightly. Top with half of the grilled tomatoes, olive mixture and Fontina. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, ending with the cheese.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Let stand for 10 minutes (if you can wait that long!).

The Culinary Chase’s Note:  I made this again it’s that good!  This dish is also very tasty the next day…if you have any leftovers.  Enjoy!