Real Italian Calzones Food

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!

HOMEMADE ITALIAN CALZONES RECIPE

Steps:

• To begin with the Homemade Italian Calzones first, let's start with making the dough.
• In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast along with the sugar. Add the warm water and mix gently.
• Cover and let it proof for about 5 minutes. If the yeast is active and good, it will bubble and froth.
• Now add the Del Monte olive oil, salt and 3 or more cups of flour. Mix well to form a soft dough and knead for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Place the dough in a greased or oiled bowl, roll it to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl and place in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 2 hours
• Now in a pressure cooker, place the tomatoes, onions, and green chillies and give one whistle.
• Remove and blend it to a smooth paste with the garlic.
• Pour this into a deep pan, add the tomato puree or paste, salt, oregano and Italian seasoning, mix well and bring to boil.
• Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Centigrade.
• Take 2 inch balls of the dough and roll into a medium thin circle. On one-half of the circle, layer the bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, green chillies, Del Monte olives and cheese.
• Divide the fillings among the calzones.
• Fold the other half of the dough over the filling and seal the edges.
• Place the uncooked calzones onto greased baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes till they are well baked and light golden brown.
• You can brush the top of the calzones with any Olive oil before baking; these give a brown crust to the calzone.
• Serve these warm calzones with the hot prepared sauce on the side.
• You can serve them with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese for a more authentic Italian touch.
• Raw Mango And Spring Onion dip can be served along with the Calzones for your house parties.

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.

ITALIAN HERO CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Lightly grease a very large baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal, set aside.
• Drain tomatoes well, reserving oil.
• In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, turkey and/or pepperoni, and olives.
• Stir in the mozzarella cheese.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each package of pizza dough to a 12 x 9 rectangle.
• Using a 3 inch round cutter, cut each rectangle into ten 3 inch circles.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat/cheese mix slightly off centre on each dough circle.
• Fold dough over mixture, forming a semicircle.
• Seal the edge of each semicircle with the tines of a fork.
• Place the calzones on a prepared baking sheet.
• Brush the tops with the reserved oil from tomatoes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and, if desired, cayenne pepper.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until calzones are golden.
• Serve warm.
• MAKE AHEAD: Prepare and bake calzones as directed.
• Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Place the calzones in a freezer container or freezer bag.
• Seal, label and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To reheat, preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place the frozen calzones on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
• If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning.