Ras El Hanout- Spiced Eggplant Crust Mini Pizzas

If you have some leftover eggplant and don't know what to do with it, make some mini Margherita pizzas! These crustless babies are keto, low-carb, and vegetarian, with umami taste similar to mushrooms. They absorb flavour like a sponge!

Speaking of flavour, instead of a regular, tomato sauce, I wanted a flavour that would pack a punch and not rely on the cheese.  I seasoned the pizza base with homemade ras el hanout, a spice blend prevalent in North Africa, particularly in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. It’s a mix of intense, complex flavours (better if you can grind it up to from whole spices)! The ras el hanout enhances the sauce and goes well with the eggplant, and is often used to season meat, fish, couscous and other vegetables.

I love the spice mix because there are no hard rules in terms of ratios, but generally cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, ginger, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper make a feature.

The name ras el hanout translates to ‘head of the shop’, alluding to a blend of the best spices in store!

Also, if you can get your hands on fresh herbs, use them! This will give your pizzas a fresh bite.

Ingredients

1/2 large eggplant

Olive oil

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

5 basil leaves

Dried parsley

1 heaped teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon Worchester sauce

1/4 cup tomato salsa

1/2 cup tomato ragu

Salt and black pepper

Mozzarella or sharp cheddar, cut into small squares

Chili flakes

Ras el hanout:

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

(Makes about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

Cut your eggplant into thick slices (not too thin, they will shrink a bit in while baking). Brush them generously with olive oil and sprinkle with dried thyme, salt, and pepper on both sides.  Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.

While the eggplant is in the oven, prepare your spiced tomato sauce in a small bowl. Mix the ragu, salsa, Worchester sauce, garlic, and basil. Blend the spices in a small container where you can store what remains. Add one teaspoon to the tomato sauce and mix well.

Remove the eggplant from the oven and top with the tomato sauce, cheese squares, fresh thyme, and basil leaves. 

Bake for another 10 minutes and until the cheese starts to melt.

Serve hot and garnish with chilli flakes, parsley, and ground pepper.