This one is for the focaccia lovers

Eggplant mixed with salt and a garlic-infused olive oil. Lighter and fresher than pizza, this crisp-edged flatbread is also a celebration of summer eggplant.

Ever since I went to college nearby, V&;T Restaurant and Pizzeria in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan has made my ideal of the eggplant pizza.

Covered with stretchy mozzarella and loads of deep-fried eggplant slices (probably the same ones they used for parmigiana), it is crisp, gooey, creamy and without any of the pizza pretensions that have become the norm in our Neapolitan margherita-obsessed city.

But, even though I love V&;T’s eggplant pie from the bottom of its charred crust to the top of its oil-slicked cheese, it’s not something I want to re-create at home. That delicate balance of deepfried eggplant and homemade pizza dough is best left to seasoned professionals.

Instead, when a craving for eggplant pizza strikes, I take a simpler path and make focaccia.

The differences between focaccia and pizza are fluid, but most flatbread lovers agree that focaccia dough has a lot more olive oil than pizza dough, yielding a fluffier, richer crumb.

So it goes in this recipe, in which thin eggplant slices are layered over a puffy, pillowy base that’s crisp at the edges. What it lacks in crackling chewiness, it makes up for it in tenderness and a savory olive oil flavor, which works nicely with the eggplant and olive topping.

As for that topping, not only do I dispense with deep-frying the eggplant, I don’t bother cooking it at all before shingling it over the dough. A quick toss with salt and hot, garlic-infused olive oil flavors the eggplant pieces and gives them a head start, softening them a bit before they reach the oven.

Naturally, when there’s a pan of olive oil and garlic on the stove, simmering away with some minced olives for depth, I can’t resist tossing in a few anchovies, too. It’s my nature, and there’s just no use fighting it. But if it’s not your thing, just skip the anchovies entirely. Salt lovers can increase the amount of minced olives as they see fit; another tablespoon or two should do it.

Serve the focaccia either warm from the oven or at room temperature. I like to smear slices with

1. Oil a large bowl and set aside. (This is for the rising dough.)

2. Add water to another large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Stir 1/3 cup oil and salt into yeast mixture. Stir in flour until a soft, shaggy dough forms.

4. If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Or knead in a stand mixer equipped with the dough hook for 3 to 5 minutes. The dough is ready when it’s elastic but somewhat sticky and damp. If the dough seems unmanageable and won’t come off your hands, add more flour, a little at a time.

5. Place dough in the oiled bowl and turn to coat it lightly with oil. Cover bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

6. While dough is rising, make the topping: Combine eggplant and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

7. Mince half of the olives and slice the other half.

8. In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup oil over me