Pizza? Yes, Please.

Just a quickie little post today. I used a small portion of another beef summer sausage from my Hickory Farms samples and some of the smooth and sharp cheddar that was included (Here's a refresher of what items I had received HERE) I still had some pizza dough I had made earlier. It pays to make a big batch. that way you have some handy for future use. Anyway... This pizza a a retake on my Fire-Roasted Bell Pepper and Broiled Eggplant that I had made several weeks ago. After baking I had placed the pizza in the broiler for a few minutes to help the cheese brown up a little. I nearly lost my train of thought for a moment a left it in there a little too long and slightly charred the top crust. No worries though the bottom and the rest of the pizza was still fine. Quite frankly, it was pretty darn tasty if I say so myself. Char and all.

Fire-Roasted Bell Pepper, Broiled Eggplant, Sausage Pizza

1 pizza dough (homemade or store dough)
1/2 stick Hickory Farms Beef Summer Sausage - Rough chopped
1/3 c chopped Hickory Farms Smooth and Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 yellow bell pepper
2 japanese eggplants
2 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c marinara, pasta sauce or your choice of pizza sauce
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat your broiler. Slice the eggplant in half and baste is with some olive oil. Place on a baking pan and broil for 15-20 minutes. Flip half-way through. Once slightly charred on both sides remove from broiler and let cool before handling. Scoop out the meat and discard the skins. Give it a rough chop and set aside.

Turn on one flame of your stove to medium-high. Place the bell pepper directly on the flame. You want to char the skin until they have blackened. Use a pair of tongs to turn the bell pepper. Once most or all the skin has been charred, let it cool for a couple minutes before handling. Using the back of a knife or a straight edge, scrap off the skin. Then remove the seeds and give the bell pepper and rough chop.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450˚F.

In a lightly dusted surface, roll out the dough until 1/8-inch thick. Place the dough on an ungreased baking sheet. Take a clean fork and perforate the dough all around, then evenly spread the marinara sauce. Take 1 cup of the cheese and sprinkle it over the sauce. Followed by the eggplant, then the bell pepper and sausage then top with the cheddar.

Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the entire pizza especially the crust and bake for 10-15 minutes. Or until the crust looks lightly brown and crisp.

Serve warm.