Italian Calzone Food

REAL ITALIAN CALZONES

Steps:

• To Make Dough: In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled.
• To Make Filling: While dough is rising, combine the ricotta cheese, Cheddar cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms and basil leaves in a large bowl. Mix well, cover bowl and refrigerate to chill.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese/meat filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

CALZONE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup (100 ml) of lukewarm water (taken from the 3 cups / 700 ml).
• Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
• Add the olive oil and the flour, and mix, gradually adding the water, until you obtain a smooth and elastic dough.
• Finally, add the salt, and knead for 3 minutes.
• Cover the dough, and let it rise at room temperature for 2 hours, when it should double in size.
• Knock back the dough on a floured work surface, and divide it into 8 equal pieces, about 4 oz (125 g) each, and roll out.
• In a bowl, mix the ricotta, salami or ham, and a little pepper. Add the egg yolks and the Pecorino Romano, then the mozzarella and the Scamorza.
• Mix to obtain a somewhat firm, homogeneous cream. Set aside.
• On a floured work surface, thinly roll out a piece of dough into a disc like a pizza.
• Spread 2 tablespoons of passata in the center, and then spread ⅛ of the filling, leaving about ½ inch (1 cm) around the edges.
• Fold the disc into a half-moon shape, then starting from the center and working toward the ends, seal it well by firmly pressing the edges together.
• Fold the edges inward, and press down again.
• Repeat with the rest of the dough, the passata, and the filling.
• Place the calzoni onto 4 baking sheets lined with parchment paper (2 calzoni per sheet).
• Brush the surface of each calzone with passata.
• Place in a warm place for another 20 minutes to rise again.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 440 F (225˚C).
• Drizzle olive oil on each calzone, and place one baking sheet of calzoni toward the bottom of the oven.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• The calzoni should swell a little, turn a little brown, and their surface should dry a little.
• To check if the calzone is fully baked, check the underside: the dough must be golden and not white.
• Remove the calzoni from the oven, and bake the rest, two at a time.
• Eat hot or warm.

EASY CALZONES

Steps:

• Place the frozen rolls (or frozen bread loaves) on a baking sheet to thaw. Cover with a tea towel and let thaw and rise for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the sausage and cook until brown, crumbling the sausage as you stir. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Remove from the skillet and allow to cool on a plate.
• In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, some pepper, parsley and 2 eggs.
• When the sausage is cool, stir it into the cheese mixture and set aside.
• When the rolls are thawed and risen, roll them out on a lightly floured surface until paper thin. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the filling onto half of the dough circle. Fold half of the dough over itself, and then press the edges to seal.
• Brush the surface of each calzone with the beaten egg, and then bake until nice and golden brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Serve with warm Marinara Sauce.
• Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a hot pan over medium-high heat and throw in the garlic and chopped onions and give them a stir.
• Now add the wine (or chicken broth), whisking to deglaze the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquid reduces by half.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Toward the end of the cooking process, chop up your fresh parsley and basil and add it to the sauce to taste, stirring to combine.

REAL ITALIAN CALZONES

Steps:

• In a small bowl dissolve yeast in the warm (not hot!) water. Add 1 tablespoons of the oil, sugar and salt, and mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour until the dough is smooth and workable.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing the other teaspoon of olive oil, flipping to coat dough in the oil. Cover and let rise from 40 minutes or until almost doubled.
• While dough is rising combine all remaining ingredients except for the egg in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate to chill.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• When the dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into two equal parts. Roll the halves individually out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface.
• Fill one half of each circle with half of the filling mixture and fold over. Seal the edges by pressing with a fork.
• Brush the top of each calzone with the egg wash and place on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.
• Serve with warmed tomato sauce if desired!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE CALZONE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Crumble sausage into large deep skillet; cook on medium heat until evenly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in mushrooms and jalapeño slices.
• Unroll pizza dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; pat into 12-inch round.
• Spread meat mixture onto half the dough to within 1 inch of edge; top with cheese and pasta sauce. Fold dough in half; seal edges with fork. Cut 2 to 3 slits in top of dough to vent steam. Brush crust with milk; sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake 20 to 25 min. or until golden brown.