Flat Bread Pizza with Chipotle Hummus & Grilled Veggies
I developed this recipe after a very disappointing flat bread pizza experience at a restaurant. After a long day at work, I wanted nothing better than to enjoy a glass of Shiraz with a thin crispy flat bread pizza. Instead what I got was soggy bread dough soaking wet with an overload of sauce and cheese! The dinner would have been a complete disaster had it not been for the Shiraz. The only good thing that came out of that meal was my determination to create the kind of flat bread pizza that my taste buds craved. Thin, perfectly crisp and with just the right amount of topping. Less sure is more in this case. This is also the perfect solution to the Mediterranean blues. The use of Lavash bread, hummus, olives and feta cheese give this flat bread pizza an exotic Mediterranean flair. So, pick a nice bottle of wine, play some jazz, light a candle and get ready for a warm exotic meal……
What you need:
1 soft lavash bread
Olive oil
4 1/4 round slices of eggplant
4 1/4 slices of zucchini cut lengthwise
2 1/4 round slices of red onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
5- 6 marinated olives, sliced.
1 tablespoon, cilantro, finely chopped.
For the Chipotle Hummus
1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked for a few hours cooked until soft (feel free to use canned chickpeas if you are short on time)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup tahini
1 chipotle pepper (from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
How to make:
Chipotle Hummus (You can make this ahead of time. It will stay good for weeks in an airtight container in the fridge)
• Put the chickpeas, garlic, and tahini in a food processor. Pulse until it becomes paste-like, adding a few tablespoons of water, if needed.
• Add the chipotle, cumin, and lemon juice, and pulse again until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to an airtight container.
Pizza
• Preheat the oven to 450 Degrees.
• Heat a grill pan on high heat.
• Brush the eggplant, zucchini and onion slices with oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the vegetables on the grill and cook both sides till you get grill marks. Keep aside.
• Place the Lavash in a baking sheet and brush it with oil on both sides.
• Put the Lavash in the oven for 2 minutes. Flip the bread and let it cook in the oven for another 2 minutes.
• Remove the Lavash from the oven. Spread a thin layer of hummus over the bread.
• Top with the eggplant, zucchini, onions and the olives.
• Sprinkle the crumbled feta.
• Put the lavash back in the oven and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot.
