Tuesday, February 17, 2009

what zone? the calzone!


Calzones: Pizza, folded, and baked. I'm giving you three recipes for it, all of which should be mixed with the cheese base. The BEAUTY part about these, is, you can fill 'em with whatever you wanna fill 'em with, and it'll probably taste like awesome. Here's what you do.

Cheese base:
1 C. ricotta (Part Skim is fine)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 C. provolone/mozzarella shredded
1/4 C. parmesan or romano, shredded

Fillings:
Pepperoni
Sausage & Mushroom
Vegetable

Pepperoni:
Open package of pepperoni, place in skillet over low/medium heat. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towel. Discard grease. Mix with cheese base.

Sausage & Mushroom:
In a bowl, mix pre-sliced cremini mushrooms with 1/4 C. olive oil, 3 T. balsamic vinegar, 1 t. rosemary, plus 1/4 t. salt and the same amount of pepper. Spread on baking sheet - roast mushrooms in 400 oven for 20 minutes until bottoms are beginning to get brown.

Meanwhile, break up 1 lb. spicy italian pork sausage in a skillet. Sautee over low/medium for 10-15 minutes until browned. Drain on paper towel and discard grease.

Combine sausage and mushrooms with cheese mixture.

Vegetable:
Steam 10 oz. fresh baby spinach. Chop 1/2 C. sundried tomatoes. Chop up can of artichoke hearts. Mix with cheese and get ready for yuuuuuum!

OK - so for the dough...I happen to be dough-inept, so I buy the frozen kind and let it thaw then I roll it out really awkwardly but what I think is good enough...into about a 15 inch circle. Place cheese + _________ mixture in middle of dough, then fold over, and press edges together well. Try this trick: put your thumb on the edge, push down, and using your other hand, bring a tiny bit of dough over your thumb then slip your thumb out. Repeat for the entire edge, looks sort of "braid"-ish. Don't forget to make slits in the top of your calzone with a paring knife, or else you will have a pizza explosion in your oven. (No, that's a lie but it might not turn out great, so remember to make the slits).

BIG TRICK ALERT:
To get a good, pizzeria-style crust on your 'Zone - do this: Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Place your pans in the oven while it preheats. When your oven and pans are preheated, take the pan out of the oven. Pour olive oil (1/4 c.) on it. Gently, carefully place your calzone on the hot baking sheet, and place it back in the oven for 15-18-20-25 minutes until done to your liking.

Sauce, baby, sauce:
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 shot premium vodka (no, 2, you can drink one)
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 t. salt

Stir, simmer on low for 10 mins, or until heated through.

ENJOY with a glass of vino and your friends. Ooh la la, CALZONES!

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