Nice, France: the Pizza and Chili Oil at Sporting Plage

Nice, France: the Pizza
I don't really understand why, at all, but the French Riviera cities LOVE pizza. Flat-bread pizza, to be exact. All of the beaches in the city of Nice are on rocks, so when you go to a private beach, you pay like 40 Euro for the whole day, and they give you lounge chairs with cushions, towels, an umbrella, a waiter, etc. We went to supposedly the best beach every day, called Sporting Plage, which also had a restaurant, where I ordered pizza, of course.

The key to the pizza in France: chili oil. I have seen this before in those high end olive oil stores, or at outdoor specialty markets, but now, I will actually buy some next time I see it. It's basically olive oil that has chili peppers soaking in it, bottled with it. Let me tell you, it's better than crushed red peppers on a pizza. I know it sounds strange, but I am fully addicted!!!


Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 8
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3


Pizza Quesadilla
1 thick tortilla (burrito or large taco size per person)
Tomato Sauce (homemade or jarred)
Prosciutto
Green leaf lettuce or baby spinach
Fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese 
Kalamatta Olives 

Cook a tortilla in a large frying pan, on both sides, until warm. Then, basically, make a pizza on top of the tortilla using the sauce, sliced mozzarella, and sliced prosciutto, in a large frying pan (Use less of each ingredient than you think you should, because you will be folding in half). Cook, open-faced, in pan, until cheese starts to melt. Add a few leaves of the green leaf lettuce (or baby spinach), then fold in half, and cook "quesadilla" on both sides, until crispy. Serve with chili oil.


I know this recipe sounds strange. But it is delicious. The original actually is served as pizza on crispy flat-bread, but since I don't know anyone that often has that laying around, I decided to mix it up with a tortilla instead, turning into a pizza pocket, if you will. And if you are a herbivore, substitute mixed mushrooms or something for the prosciutto.But seriously, don't forget the chili oil. I'm not kidding. It won't be the same without it and you can thank me later.