Roasted veggies turn flatbread into meal

When I brought this dish to my friend’s house, everyone said, “Thanks for the pizza!” before digging in. Not to get fixated on semantics, but this is not pizza.

Now, I’m OK with the wide range of dishes that fall under the moniker “pizza,” and I adore its many forms. In fact, I once made a bibimbap pizza with a rice crust, but that was a purposeful intention to redefine pizza. There’s a very different relationship between bread and toppings when they’re not glued together with sauce or a hefty layer of cheese — with pizza, top and bottom must be married.

What I brought to my friend’s house was instead focaccia, and with focaccia, it’s about the base.

I’ve met more than a few people who shy away from making any kind of bread. They’re sure the task requires years of experience. Trust me: My 7-year-old could master this dough. It needs zero kneading, just a turn or two, and time. It isn’t improved by any more handling. Its success might have something to do with the high ratio of water to flour.

Most focaccias come without toppings — salt and herbs shine enough to carry this Italian flat bread. I can take or leave most toppings, but roasted veggies, which gather their sweetness from oven-roasting, are the exception. They turn a bread with topping into a vegetarian main dish that stands on its own.

The addition of vinegar before roasting may seem out of place, but that little bit of acidity is a great balance for the sweetness and saltiness. I actually like this kind of marinade for veggie lasagna.

One final note: Don’t be afraid of the olive oil in this recipe. Putting it down on the sheet pan gives the crust an almost fried texture and encourages browning.

This is a dish that is good when company comes, not just on paper plates during a movie.

ROASTED VEGGIE FOCACCIA

By Mariko Jackson

• 1 large red onion
• 1 to 2 Japanese eggplants
• 2 large tomatoes
• 12 to 13 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
• 7 to 8 basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese

>> Dough:

• 3-1/2 cups flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups water

Make dough by mixing flour, yeast, salt and water in a large bowl. Stir it until all the flour is moistened, about a dozen times. The mixture will be very wet and shaggy. Do not knead. I recommend a dough whisk for this, but it can be done with a large spoon. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm spot for about 4 hours.

About an hour before the dough is finished rising, turn on oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment. Slice onion, eggplant (on the bias) and tomato into 1/3- to 1/2-inch slices.

Toss vegetables with 7 tablespoons olive oil and the vine­gar. Marinate 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Spread on sheet pan and sprinkle with salt. Reserve marinade for dipping or drizzling later, if you like. Roast 25-30 minutes, flipping over after 15 minutes.

Remove vegetables from pan and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour 4-5 tablespoons olive oil onto the empty pan and tilt pan until oil covers most of the surface.

Turn dough onto pan and spread it out with oiled hands. If it resists, wait a few minutes and try again. It doesn’t have to reach every edge of the pan. Allow it to rest about 10 minutes, until it begins to slightly puff again.

Make deep indentations on the surface with your fingertips. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and brush oil over the surface. Sprinkle with salt and bake 10 minutes.

Scatter roasted vegetables over bread, then top with basil, minced garlic and cheese, in that order.

Return to oven for 10-15 minutes, until browned and cooked through. I like to finish with a sprinkle of marinade, but that is optional. Cut into 10 slices. Serves 10.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 400 calories, 22 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,600 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 8 g protein.

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at thelittlefoodie.com. Her column runs on the last Wednesday of the month. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.