Working with flatbreads is one of my new adventures. I came up with a few recipes that I am trying out on my lovely taste testers. The first one I pulled together was eggplant, tomatoes and onions with pea shoots. I know. Who ever heard of pea shoots. I had never heard of them until I was perusing the fresh vegetables at Trader Joe’s. I am always interested in trying out new veggies and figuring out how I can use them in a recipe. I originally thought I would use spinach or even watercress but the pea shoots caught my eye and I had a second thought. Why not use them on the flatbread!
Because roasting veggies makes them soft I wanted to have another level of texture on the flatbreads. The pea shoots added just the right amount of crunch to go with the roasted eggplant, tomatoes and onions. Plus, the pea shoots have a nice flavor too. They have the subtle “sweet taste of spring peas” just like it says on the package. I will definitely be adding pea shoots to some other recipe in the future.
Getting back to flatbreads, I find it is really just a fancy way of saying pizza. Although when I was researching information about flatbreads, there really is a difference between the two. Flatbreads are thin and made from unleavened dough and pizzas can be be thin or thick and are made with yeast so it rises. What is confusing is that I have seen on restaurant menus the description of flatbread pizzas which means they are just thin flat pizzas with yeast somewhere in the mix.
I am keeping it simple and calling this a flatbread dish based on what it said on the package I purchased. No matter what you call it the taste will be delicious. If your creation works out the way mine did you may have to make two because the family will keep coming back for more.
Eggplant, Tomatoes and Onions with Pea Shoots on Flatbread
Ingredients:
1 14oz flatbread (Trader Joe’s Rustic Ciabatta Flatbread)
1 medium eggplant sliced (skin on)
1 medium onion sliced thin
2 Kumata tomatoes sliced
2 Roma tomatoes sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup organic pea shoots
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp basil
½ tsp oregano
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss together pea shoots, a pinch of salt, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside.
Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Layer eggplant, tomatoes and onions on a the baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over veggies then sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Roast until veggies are soft and browned for approximately 25 – 30 minutes. Toss the veggies mid-way through cooking to make sure all of the veggies brown.
Place flatbread on a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil then sprinkle with ½ cup of mozzarella. Spread eggplant, tomato and onions over the flatbread then sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Top with remaining cheese then sprinkle oregano and basil over cheese. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until cheese melts and turns slightly brown. Let cool for a few minutes then cut with a pizza slicer. Top with pea shoots and enjoy.
dmarie-dining 