Goût de France: Rustic Provençal Pizza

I’m embarrassed to admit that my first meal out in foodie France was pizza. Like typical American travelers on-the-go, we were late. Having slept in and indulged in a large breakfast on our first day—then of course sightseeing and shopping—caused us to miss France’s punctual lunch hour from noon-2 pm. So when we plopped ourselves down in a brasserie  at a few minutes passed 2 and asked for 4 menus, we got a glare down the snauze and a recommendation to try Pizzeria Aldo around the corner.

As we we were leaving the brasserie, the waitstaff snickered amongst themselves, at our expense, and hollered, “Tell him Vinny sent you!”

The good news is that Aldo was quite friendly and happy to have our business. He wore bifocals that made his eyes appear freakishly large and greeted us with a smile.

He served us a rustic looking thin crust pizza that had been baked in a brick oven. The sauce was milder then we’re used to in the States and could have used a bit more kick. But the crust was tender and crispy. My husband prefers my spicier Roasted Provençal Tomato Sauce made with sweet grape tomatoes.

In my recipe remake, the pizza stone ensures a tender crispy crust. And to make it super easy I love using premade Naan bread! In the past I’ve always made my own crust, but once my husband and I discovered Naan, we use them more often.  Bon appetit!

Rustic Provençal Pizza Recipe

Ingredients
2, Naan Mediterranean flat bread
½ cup (divided) of my Roasted Provençal Tomato Sauce
Toppings optional (consider my Provencal Chicken Sausage or sautéed mushrooms)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced into half-moon discs
Red and yellow sweet grape tomatoes (about ¼ cup per Naan, sliced in discs)
Freshly chopped rosemary (about ½ teaspoon per Naan)
Large pizza stone

Directions
Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 500 degrees. When oven reaches 500 degrees, carefully remove hot pizza stone from oven. Remember it will be very hot so use good oven mitts. Place the Naan’s on the hot stone. Top each Naan with ¼ cup of my Roasted Provençal Tomato Sauce.

If you’re using toppings like my Provençal Chicken Sausage, add them on top of sauce.

Evenly distribute sliced mozzarella over toppings.

Garnish with sliced red and yellow grape tomatoes. Sprinkle freshly chopped rosemary on top. *Reduce oven heat to 425 degrees and bake on bottom rack 20-25 minutes or until desired crispness. With a pizza cutter slice each Naan into four pieces (Serves about 4 people with 2 slices each). Serve with a side salad.

Recipe Remakes

Provençal Tomato Sauce

Provençal Chicken Sausage

Related Link:

Goût de France: Thanks, Mom!