ITALIAN DELI STYLE FRENCH BREAD PIZZA

Italian Deli Style French Bread Pizza image

Provided by Geoffrey Zakarian

Time 35m

Yield 16 slices

Number Of Ingredients 13

One 2-foot-long French bread, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 cups marinara sauce
8 ounces sopressata, thinly sliced
8 ounces hard salami, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
Two 8-ounce balls smoked mozzarella, sliced
2 cups pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
8 pickled cherry peppers, drained and sliced
4 ounces ricotta salata
1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino-Romano
2 teaspoons red chile flakes
2 cups fresh basil leaves

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the bread halves on a sheet tray. Drizzle the olive oil on each half of the bread, then spread on the marinara sauce evenly. Layer on the sopressata and hard salami by folding and overlapping the slices. Top with the Parmesan and smoked mozzarella.
Bake until the cheese is bubbling and the meat is very hot, 8 to 10 minutes. (Finish under the broiler if desired.)
Immediately distribute the olives and peppers evenly. Grate the ricotta salata over the top, then sprinkle on the Pecorino-Romano.
Sprinkle the chile flakes on top, and top with the fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Cut each half into 8 slices. Serve immediately.