Eggplant Focaccia with Ricotta and Olives

From the NY Times and Melissa Clark, this makes a delicious dinner with a salad, or cut it into smaller pieces and serve as an appetizer.

Serves 8

Dough

• 3⁄4 c lukewarm water

• 1 1⁄2 t active dry or instant yeast

• 1 t sugar

• 1⁄3 c extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl

• 2 1⁄4 c bread flour (I used all-purpose), extra for bench flour

Topping

• 3⁄4 lb eggplant, thinly sliced

• 1⁄4 t kosher salt

• 1⁄4 c pitted olives

• 1⁄4 c extra virgin olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated

• 5 anchovy filets, finely chopped

• 1 T fresh oregano, chopped (1 t dried)

• 2⁄3 c cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1⁄3 c fresh ricotta

• Flaky sea salt and black pepper

• Torn fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Oil a large bowl and set aside for the dough rise.

Add water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over water. If using active dry yeast, wait 5 minutes for yeast to foam. If using instant yeast, you don’t need to wait. Stir in 1⁄3 cup oil and the salt into the mixture. Stir in flour until a shaggy dough develops. Knead using the dough hook attachment for 3-5 minutes. Add more flour if the dough is still sticky and hard to work with. Place dough in the oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place to double in size, 1-2 hours.

Combine eggplant and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Mince half the olives and slice the other half. In a small saucepan, heat 1⁄4 cup olive oil over medium and add the garlic, stirring, and heat about 1 minute. Add the minced olives and anchovies. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour oil mixture over eggplant. Stir in oregano and toss to coat. Let cool.

Liberally oil a sheet pan (about 11”x17”) using about 2 T olive oil. Turn the dough out into the pan and gently coax it into a rectangle. Try not to stretch it too much, and it doesn’t have to fit all the way into the corners of the pan. As it proofs, it will grow and expand. Cover surface with 2 T olive oil and let it proof in a warm spot for 45 minutes, until it looks puffed up.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (use convection setting if you have it). Arrange eggplant slices evenly over dough, and scatter tomatoes and sliced olives on top. Drizzle over any leftover oil in the bowl. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and top with dollops of ricotta. Season with pepper and flaky salt, scatter basil on top and drizzle with more olive oil.