Although my urban gardening skills are far from perfect, I plucked my first crop of hot red peppers (a total of five) from my balcony this weekend. I stuffed them with a mixture of cooked mild Italian sausage, fresh basil and oregano, mozzarella and fresh bread crumbs. I cooked them  at 425° for 25 minutes in a baking dish with 1/4 inch of water.  

The final product: tender, fruity peppers with a touch of heat and a mouthful of fatty sausage and cheese. I planned on eating three and saving two for lunch leftovers. But I enjoyed my bounty so much that I ate all five.

I made my first black bean-mango salsa pizza this fall while volunteering at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Ramble festival. My boss Gretchen mans the pizza booth each year and concocts a number of gourmet pies.

With leftover black beans on hand and mango season just starting here in Miami, I decided to try the pie at home. I consulted with Gretchen on the salsa recipe for which she recommended ginger and lots of jalapeno. She also suggested veering from a traditional dough and trying a cornmeal-based flatbread or crust to accent the pizza’s Latin flavors. 

With some online research, I found Emeril’s cornmeal pizza dough, which was simple and made enough for two pies. It crisped nicely atop my pizza stone, but needed more flavor. Maybe another pinch of salt would have helped. 

I went ahead and made two pizzas and froze the second for a quick weeknight meal. So double the recipe below (but not the salsa recipe; it makes plenty) for a double-duty dinner. 

Black Bean-Mango Salsa Pizza
1 recipe pizza dough
1 cup cooked black beans in liquid
1 cup mango salsa (recipe below)
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
Prepare pizza dough. As it rises, make mango salsa. Puree half of black beans in a blender or with a hand blender. 

Preheat oven to 450° with pizza stone inside, if using. Once dough is ready, stretch it to form a 10-inch circle. Remove pizza stone from oven and place the stretched dough on its surface. Spread black beans evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch crust border. Top with mango salsa and cheeses. Brush olive oil over crust.

Bake pie for 15 minutes until golden. Remove from oven. Let it rest for 5 minutes; slice into wedges and serve.

Serves 3 to 4

Mango Salsa
2 medium mangoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/4 cup diced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice 
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions
Combine all ingredients. Add extra lime or salt as needed.  

Makes 2+ cups

Ethereal, melt-in-your-mouth eggplant Parmesan this is not. This dish is her rough-and-tumble American cousin, and she’s left out the salty, solid Parmesan for part-skim mozzarella. 

Eggplant can be a major challenge on weeknights with the peeling, salting and, certainly, frying as would be the case for true eggplant Parm. I’ve omitted all those steps here. And since it’s eggplant season here in Florida, I have no fear of turning up a bitter eggplant. 

These flavors are familiar, comforting and pretty damn delicious—and in my mouth in under 50 minutes, no less. I’ll take rough and tumble any day.

Eggplant Parmesan blasephemy
2 large Italian eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons roughly torn basil 
1 1/3 cups marinara or other tomato-based sauce
6 ounces shredded mozzarella

Accompaniments
12 ounces pasta OR 1 crusty loaf bread

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 450°. Cut eggplant into 1-inch chunks (do not peal). Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread eggplant over a large, rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

If serving with pasta, wait 10 minutes into the baking process, and bring a large pot of water to boil.

Remove eggplant from oven and divide into 4 individual gratin dishes. Top eggplant with basil, tomato sauce and cheese. Place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is gooey and golden in spots. 

Meanwhile, if serving with pasta, cook pasta according to package instructions. Or, if serving with bread, pop it in the oven.

Serves 4