Calzones

If you are looking for great family time, while preparing dinner, make some calzones!  If you've never heard of a calzone, think a pocket pizza.  Yes, that's right.  Everything you love on a pizza, wrapped up in a pocket of dough.  They are yummy and very easy to make!

Joe and Jonah making their calzones!

Start by making the pizza dough.  The ingredients for the dough are:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1/8 cup olive oil

Start by putting the warm water in a bowl, with the yeast.  Let the yeast proof - this means that the yeast will activate by foaming or creating little bubbles.  Make sure your water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. 

When the yeast proofs, add the salt, sugar, oil and 2 cups of the flour.  Mix with a dough hook on your mixer.   If you don't have one, you can mix by hand.  Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time.  Knead the dough until it is barely sticky.  Place the dough in a bowl and let it rise for an hour or so.

While the dough rises, make the pizza sauce.  Mix together and cook on low heat:

1 can tomato sauce

Salt

Pepper

1 teaspoon each:  parsley, basil, oregano, garlic salt

2 teaspoons sugar

Now it is time to think about what ingredients you are going to want in your calzone.  I browned some Italian sausage, made some bacon, got some pepperoni, cheese and chopped up some veggies.  I put those ingredients on the counter so that each person could stuff their calzone with whatever they wanted.

To assemble the calzone, take a small piece of the dough and roll it out on a floured surface.

Put a little sauce on one end of the dough.  Fill that end with the toppings of your choice.

Jonah Bologna saucing up his calzone!  Isn't he cute? 

Brush the sides of the calzone with melted butter.  Fold over and press the ends together.  Roll up each end so that the stuffing doesn't come out.  Take a knife and make a few small holes in the calzone.  This will allow steam to escape so you don't have an explosion in your oven!

Brush the top of the calzone with melted butter.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned.

Mangia!

This recipe is listed on

 

Homemade Pizza

When I was little and visited my Nonna, she always had homemade pizza.   However, it wasn't pizza like you and I think of..............it was ANCHOVY pizza! 

My Nonna and Nonnu...........and who is that cute kid?  ME!

 

I have fond memories of that pizza but I won't eat anchovies today................so I decided to figure out if my fond memories were because I liked them or because of my family.

Today's quest:  anchovy pizza

The recipe for the pizza dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons of active yeast
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Put the warm water in the bowl of your mixer.  Attach a dough hook.  Add the yeast and let it activate.  You will know if the yeast is good because it will start to "bubble."  Add the salt and 3 cups of the flour.

Turn the mixer on speed 2.  Slowly add flour.  Stop adding flour when the dough forms on the dough hook.  Put the dough in a oiled bowl and set in a warm place for 2 hours.  Cover the bowl with a towel.  This will allow the dough to rise.

The recipe for the pizza sauce is as follows:

1 small can of tomato paste
1 small can of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon parsley

Let that simmer while the dough is rising.

For me the key to a great pizza is the cheese!  We are lucky in St. Louis, MO because we have provel cheese.  If you have ever had Imo's pizza, that is the cheese they use.  It is the best pizza cheese ever!

For this pizza, I used a mixture of mozzarella and provel cheese.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and you are ready to roll it out.  Put some corn meal on your pizza pan so that the dough doesn't stick.



This big pizza is for a pepperoni pizza.  The little dough in the back is for my anchovy experiment!



Put the dough in the oven 400 degrees and let it start to cook........by doing this you are making sure your dough will be cooked!

After 5 minutes, remove the dough.  Add your sauce, cheese and whatever topping you want.

Bake your pizza in the oven at 400 until the cheese starts to brown.

The back up pizza in case we don't like anchovies!

 

 

I told Jonah about how my Nonna made anchovy pizza and made him try it...........

 

 

 

OK, the truth is.........he refused to try it.  He posed for me but wouldn't put it in his mouth.  And, guess what, after I tried it, I understand!

 

I don't like anchovy pizza!  Good thing I made a pepperoni too!

 

Mangia!