Sicilian Calzone Food

SICILIAN CALZONE

Steps:

• Position the oven rack in the lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 10-inch circle. Cover and let rest while making the filling.
• In a medium bowl, combine the spinach tomatoes, ricotta, scallions, basil, oregano, garlic, pepper, and salt.
• Spoon the mixture over half of the dough circle to within 1/2-inch of the edge.
• Fold the dough over the filling to close, crimping the edges to seal.
• With a large spatula, transfer the calzone to a baking sheet or to a baking stone in the oven.
• Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust browns.
• Cut in half.
• Heat the tomato sauce and serve with the calzone.

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.

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.