Eggplant Pinsa Sando

Directions Print

1. For the Feta, begin by placing the ricotta in a cheese cloth and letting it drain over night in the cooler to make sure the excess moisture is taken out. Once done, in a food processor, place the feta cheese and the cream cheese in a pastry bag. Process until smooth. Add the dried ricotta and fold in the feta mousse. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a pastry bag. Reserve chilled but soften for assembly.
2. For the mint pesto, clean 1 cup of mint leaves and blanch very quickly in hot salted water. Shock in ice water immediately and squeeze dry. In a food processor add the pistachios and blend. Add the mint, salt, pepper, drizzle 1 cup of oil as blending, once done reserve chilled.
3. For the roasted red pepper, rub the red pepper with oil and place on the grill or open flame. Char on all sides, once done wrap with plastic film and place in the cooler. After 10–15 minutes the skin will come right off, deseed and cut into filets for the sandwich. Reserve chilled.
4. For the pickled red onions, in a pot place rice vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, and ⅓ cup of water. Bring to a boil and make sure the sugar is dissolved. Slice the red onion and place in the pot. Turn off heat and let onions steep. Once cooled you can store in the cooler.
5. For the eggplant, peel and slice the eggplant ⅜ of an inch and place in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let it set for 30 minutes. For the batter, in a bowl mix six eggs with a cornstarch slurry 1 cup of cornstarch and ¾ cup of water season with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl place 1 cup of corn starch that will be the dry dredge for the battering procedure.
6. For the garnishes, pick the leaves of basil and parsley and reserve. Slice the tomato and season with salt and pepper reserve.
7. Begin by frying the eggplant. Pat dry the eggplant, place in the dry dredge and then in the wet batter place in the fryer and do not crowd the fryer. As the eggplant is frying you can drizzle extra batter on top and this will give the eggplant slices extra crunch and a beautiful texture. While the eggplant is frying, brush the pinsa with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and grill.
8. To assemble, begin with the mint pesto on the bottom pinsa and layer with eggplant slices, next add the whipped feta, top with the roasted red pepper filets, basil leaves, and parsley. Add another layer of the fried eggplant and top with whipped feta, followed by the sliced tomato, arugula, and pickled red onions. Lastly, drizzle more mint pesto and top with the other pinsa.