It makes two large pizzas
Crust
• 1 package (1 Tbs.) yeast
• 1¼ cups warm water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• sesame seeds
Sauce
• 2 cups thickly puréed tomatoes
• ½ cup tomato paste
• 1½ cups coarsely chopped, peeled tomatoes
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. oregano, crushed
• 1 tsp. basil, crushed
• ¼ tsp. thyme
• dash or marjoram
• dash of cinnamon
• 2 Tbs. wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced, fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Topping
• 1 large eggplant
• plenty of salt
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1 large green bell pepper
• ¾ lb. mozzarella cheese
1. To prepare the crust, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the warm water, add the sugar, and leave it for 10 minutes. Put the dissolved yeast in a large, warm bowl with the rest of the water. Mix the flour and the salt together and start stirring it into the liquid gradually. Keep adding flour until the mixture is too stiff to stir. Knead it in the bowl briefly, then add the olive oil and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour if necessary. Form the dough into a ball, brush it with oil, cover it, and leave it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
2. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Put the 2 balls of dough on a large, lightly floured board and roll them out into circles. When the dough starts to pull back, cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for 5 or 10 minutes, then roll it again. As the circles of dough start to approach the right size, about 16 inches across, they can be lifted up and gently stretched over the back of your hands.
3. When the dough is about ¼ inch thick, stop stretching it, adjust the shape as well as you can, and prepare the pans by oiling them with olive oil and sprinkling them with sesame seeds. Put the circles of dough on the pans.
4. The sauce and the topping can be prepared while the dough for the crust is rising.
5. To prepare the sauce, simply combine all the ingredients and stir them together very thoroughly. The sauce should be thick, not watery.
6. To prepare the topping, first peel the eggplant and slice it ¼ inch thick. Salt the eggplant slices liberally and let them drain in a colander for ½ hour. Rinse the slices quickly, press out the excess moisture between the palms of your hands, and cut them into ½-inch dice. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the eggplant in it, tossing and stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.
7. Peel and chop the onion. Core, seed, and dice the green pepper. Grate the mozzarella cheese.
8. Spread the dough evenly with tomato sauce, eggplant, onions, peppers, and, finally, grated cheese.
9. Bake the pizzas in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is crisp on the edges and bottom and the cheese is bubbling and turning golden brown.
