i kick it off with mushroom calzone!
why i did it: i made chicken marsala this weekend, and given the fact that i only used a half carton of baby button mushrooms for my marsala sauce, i wanted to do something fun with the rest. i've never made calzone--let alone pizza dough, (or any dough requiring yeast), so i was definitely up for the challenge.
so i break it down into three basic recipes. the dough. the filling. the marinara sauce.
First off...the dough.
I made the dough the day before I actually baked the calzones. Something about using dry active yeast was a bit of a concern--especially, considering i needed to find somewhere warm enough where it could rise happily. despite the mini roadblocks, the dough came out very nice and elastic.
Basic pizza (or calzone) dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast - regular or fast acting
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 cups flour
directions: put your cup of warm water into a bowl. make sure your water isn't too hot (keep it around 100-110 degrees F so you don't kill your yeast). whisk in the yeast, honey, and salt. I didn't know this, but my sister gave me the heads up to LEAVE IT BE FOR FIVE MINUTES then come back and add the flour. Once flour is added, use your hands to knead it for 5 minutes before covering it and letting it rise.
cool trick to help the dough rise, especially in cooler climates: microwave a mug with hot water for about a minute and a half, and then throw your bowl with dough in there. DO NOT PRESS START on your microwave at this point. the point is to let the steam/heat help give the yeast a nice, warm environment so they'll become active.
MY ROADBLOCK: after 30 minutes, i checked my dough and it didn't rise much. this is probably due to the fact that i didn't really wait for it to "proof" (Term used in reference to dough doing its thang/rising). so it proofed--eventually. however, i was still able to add flour to my dough and make it pliable enough where i tossed it in a ziploc and put it into the fridge for the next day.
::fast forward to next day::
ok, here's the visuals. more exciting today. i couldn't find an exact recipe for the filling, but kinda ish-d it as i went along.
calzone filling:
1 cup cottage cheese (i didn't have ricotta. if you go this route, you may want to try to drain/remove excess water)
1 egg
1/2 cup onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic sauteed. This is definitely to taste--as little, or as much as you'd like of each.
1/2 cup shredded cheese (i used asiago, mozzarella, and kasseri)
dash of italian seasoning
dash of pepper
1/4 sliced lunch meat, pepperoni, salami.
directions: in a small frying pan, sautee your veggies. Reserve half for your marinara sauce, and set the rest aside to cool for a bit.
Mix your egg, dash of italian seasoning, and pepper into your cottage cheese. When your sauteed veggies have cooled, mix into the cottage cheese mixture.
Set aside, and let's get to work on the dough!
I pulled my dough from the fridge, and was super happy to discover the nice, elasticity it maintained. Use plenty of dusting flour on a flat surface, and make sure your rolling pin is dusted as well.
For my experiment, I decided to make two larger calzones. Next time, I'll opt for 4 babies. = )
Pizza dough is a trip to roll out...it likes to spring back into place, so you really gotta work it. Because calzones get folded and tucked, it really doesn't matter if you have an even circle at the end of the rolling.
So go ahead and roll it out to about a 9 " round(ish) circle, and sprinkle your shredded cheese on one side. put a dollop of your cottage cheese mixture on top, and some of your sliced meat. finish off with another sprinkle of cheese.
Rinse and repeat for the other one. fold in half, and roll the edges that meet, and kinda tuck fold them up. You can also use a fork to flute/seal the edges.
Since i made them so large, i needed the help of a spatula to plop them onto my baking sheet. Here they go, ready for a tan.
You also want to poke holes on top, so it allows the filling inside to have a "vent" and not pop through. Bake for 35 minutes at about 325 degrees. Check on them periodically, and if they're a nice golden brown before the suggested time, take them out.
::while you're waiting::
You can fiddle with your marinara sauce. In a sauce pan, add those remaining sauteed veggies to your favorite pasta sauce, and throw in some more italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer 'til it bubbles, and you're done. You can add whatever you like to your sauce, as it will compliment the calzone.
Alright, ::ding ding:: your timer goes off, and you check on your calzones which are nice and brown! Mine both sprung a leak at the weakest part of the dough, and the liquids kinda seeped out. It worked out in my favor though, b/c excess salt from the cheese and salami came out. The dough itself browned nicely, and puffed up.
Let them cool off, and serve as you'd like. Marinara sauce for dipping or spreading...as you like it. Share with a friend, eat on your own. Either way...ENJOY!!
