The Gentleman's Kitchen

I was watching a recent episode of Food Mob on making pizzas from scratch, and while I can make my own dough and such, (I even have the wooden “paddles” for sliding pizzas in and out of the oven.) it makes such an enormous mess that it deters me from going that route. Maybe if I’m feeling completely relaxed and particularly industrious, I will prove I can do it, but for now – I’m lazy. Just not quite lazy enough to ring Dominos and have Jesus whip up some miracle pizza. So here’s my middle-ground: French Bread Pizza. You’ll need:

• 1 loaf French Bread
• Fresh sage, basil, oregano, thyme
• Jar of marinara sauce
• Sliced pepperoni
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Olive oil

Preheat your toaster oven to 375 F. Slice the French bread into four 3/4″ slices. Spread a spoonful of the marinara sauce on each slice. Finely grate the parmesan cheese and put a fluffy mound on each slice. Finely chop all the herbs and sprinkle atop each slice. Put a couple slices of pepperoni on each and top off with a light drizzle of the olive oil. Place directly on the rack in the toaster oven and cook until browned and melty.

You may not get all the props for busting out your own dough, but you also will be finishing your wine when you’d otherwise be wiping down every surface in the kitchen. A fair trade-off, I would say.