The flexitarian prescription

You might find this hard to believe, but when I was a kid, pizza was not one of my favorite foods. Nope. Of course, I was that odd child that didn’t like mashed potatoes but loved canned spinach. I know. I know. You’re probably thinking you would have loved to be friends … alas, don’t be fooled by my idiosyncrasies—I actually had a lot of friends. So, there’s that. Alas, nowadays, I love pizza—caveat, I really only like brick-oven margarita pizza. Add anchovies. (Apparently, I still have those idiosyncrasies.)

BUT. Since we don’t always have time to make the dough, and since we no longer have a pizza oven, I’ve discovered a fun, easy way to make damn good pizza with naan bread—fast! Remember when English muffin pizzas were the go-to afterschool snack? Well, just wait until you try this!! Of course if you do have some extra time, you have to try pizza in a cast iron skillet in a regular ol’ kitchen oven.

So, I’m not going to bother with a full-on recipe here—because it’s really about as straightforward as it can be. You use whatever fresh ingredients you have on hand along with the naan bread. I use Stonefire’s brand because I think it’s soft, slightly chewy but not overly so, and tastes fresh, and, I always have it on hand (for things other than pizza).

MAKE PIZZA SAUCE

• Combine a bunch of fresh tomatoes with basil, garlic (lots), and kalamata olives (because I love them) in a pan with olive oil and simmer for 15 minutes.
• “Toast” the naan bread in the oven on both sides—about 2-3 minutes a side under the broiler.

ASSEMBLE & BAKE

• Spread a little sauce on the naan, add whatever kind of cheese you want, meat if you want, roasted garlic (yes please) if you want, extra olives and anchovies (duh!!)
• Cook in the oven for about 5 minutes at 425 degrees.

ENJOY!! And let me know what you think.