Search This Blog

Search This Blog

Hearty Aubergine Pizza Sauce


When I make pizza, I usually make a very simple pizza sauce made from tomato puree, garlic and herbs, but this time I wanted something a bit more gutsy, especially as Graham wouldn't be having any cheese on his pizza.


Così Com'è



Così Com'è sent me some of their wonderful Italian jarred tomatoes to try, so I decided to put them to good use. 

I teamed red datterino tomatoes, which are sweet, with aubergine, garlic and thyme to make the most flavourful sauce for my pizzas.



I wanted the sauce to retain all the beautiful flavour and still be fresh, so I cooked it quickly in my wok.

I topped my pizza with lots of pizza sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms and basil.



Graham had pizza sauce with no cheese and piled his pizza high with red onion, mushrooms, green bell pepper and sweetcorn.

Cooper had the same as his uncle Lachlan. Pizza sauce, mozzarella and lots of sweetcorn. I swear Cooper gets more like his uncle Lachlan every day, but that is another story.

I'll definitely be making this sauce again. Sweet and fresh, but gutsy, with a tang of garlic and the earthy hints of fresh thyme. It's a keeper!



print recipe

Hearty Aubergine Pizza Sauce
This pizza sauce teams sweet tomatoes, with hearty aubergine, garlic and fresh thyme to make a fresh, but hearty sauce to spread on pizza dough or toss through pasta.
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil
  • 1 jar Così Com'è red datterino tomatoes (or good quality tinned tomatoes in juice)
  • 1 aubergine, chopped into small cubes
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • a few sprigs fresh thyme
  • a good grinding of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Heat the rapeseed oil in a wok, then add the aubergine and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften.2. Add the garlic and toss through the aubergine.3. Break the tomatoes down a little with you hands and add to the aubergines, along with the juice.4. Add the thyme (scrap the leaves from their stalks and add them) and season with black pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes, then taste to check the seasoning. If you are using tinned tomatoes, you may want to add a pinch of sugar as they can be a little bitter.5. Spread on pizza dough or toss through freshly cooked pasta.6. Enjoy!
Details
Total time:
Yield: 4 servings


Good Quality Rapeseed Oil




I have to mention the rapeseed oil. I've started using cold pressed rapeseed oil in my cooking. At the Scottish Food Bloggers Conference, executive chef Justin Galea, told us he only cooks with cold pressed rapeseed oil and in his opinion, it is the best oil you can buy. Here are a few facts.

Rapeseed Oil:
  • has a mild nutty taste
  • has a high smoking point, making it more suitable to use in a wok than olive oil.
  • contains 7% saturated fat compared to 14% in olive oil or 51% in butter
  • it's high in omega-3 and omega-6
  • it's high in vitamin E
  • cold pressed rapeseed oil contains no trans fats

Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil

 
I received some rather lovely pure cold pressed rapeseed oils from Cooks&Co, which I have been cooking with and using in dressings.

I was particularly excited by their Butter Taste Rapeseed Oil

I was quite astonished to find it did taste of butter, but it is made using a natural, plant-based aroma and is lactose free.

I am going to try it in some vegan baking for Graham. I am hoping the butter flavour will shine through.

I'll keep you updated.





TRY THIS NEXT

Sheet Pan Aubergine (Eggplant) & Chickpea Bake

Sheet Pan Aubergine (Eggplant) & Chickpea Bake


An easy aubergine, chickpea and spinach bake for a simple family dinner.



Disclosure: I was sent products by Così Com'è & Cooks&Co to try. I was not required to write a positive review and any views expressed are my own.

21 comments

  1. This certainly looks to be a very gutsy and tummy satisfying kind of pizza sauce. Lovely idea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love how you have presented the sauce in that pretty cup and saucer! Pizza looks amazing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Janice, I roll that cup and saucer every so often and hope you will have forgotten I have used it before :)

      Delete
  3. How funny - I was just about to write a post mentioning that I'd discovered rapeseed oil! It's such stunning colour, isn't it?
    Love the sound of this pizza sauce. Will be trying it out soon. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am really liking rapeseed oil Wendy. I do hope you do the post. Will have to come over and see. Lots of catching up to do now my poor eye is healing :)

      Delete
  4. Your pizza looks amazing, and I'm going to give your sauce a try very soon - I make pizza every Friday night! The rapeseed oil is interesting, I've heard of it but never used it! Thank you for the tips!

    Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have come to aubergine late in life - we didn't have it when I was growing up. I can still remember my first taste of baba ganoush...happy times!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I probably came to it late too CC, but I do really appreciate it now.

      Delete
  6. I've never heard of butter tasting rapeseed. That sounds intriguing. Have you baked with it? I love rapeseed oil but different kinds can taste so very different. As can tomatoes. Again, I haven't heard of this brand but will look out for them. That pizza looks scrummy, btw

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't baked with it yet, but I am still amazed by the taste and smell of butter from it.

      Delete
  7. What a great idea to add aubergine to pizza sauce — I can't wait to try this!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a truly appetising pizza Jac - the toppings and the base! I've never used rapseed oil in cooking but will look out for it the next time I need to stock up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Pizza is my favourite lazy Sunday meal! I love yoiur sauce made with aubergine and the sweet Cosi' Come' tomatoes. Rapseed oil is very popular in Denmark (my husband is Danish and I lived almost 2 years in Copenhagen). It is a great alternative to olive oil and very trendy in Scandinavian Countries at the moment because used by the New Danish Cuisine (NB Noma restaurant cooking style).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Brilliant and your photos are most stunning. xo

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x