Real Men Eat Calzones

Of Italian heritage, a calzone is a stuffed turnover made from a yeast dough. Baked or fried golden brown this cheese filled delicacy can be eaten as a quick lunch or is perfect with a green or fruit salad as a dinner entree. Similar to stromboli, which is rolled into a loaf, calzone has evolved and today it's largely based on a chef's interpretation and tastes. Commonly it is served with a marinara sauce on the side for dipping or drizzled with a flavor infused olive oil.

Try my recipe or find one from the many I've discovered. Buon Appetito!

This was the easy part because I've been making this dough for our Friday night pizzas for years. You can make it the night before and put it in the fridge if you'd like to.

* 1 package of active yeast
* 2 T warm water
* 1 cup boiling water
* 2 T shortening
* 1/2 t salt
* 1/2 t sugar
* 3 cups of sifted flour

Soften yeast in warm water. Add boiling water to shortening, salt, and sugar. Cool to lukewarm and add to yeast. Add most of flour and beat until smooth. Add remaining flour and knead. Set in greased bowl, covered, in warm place to double in bulk. Punch down dough, and divide into four parts. From The Settlement Cook Book

Photo courtesy of gus_magee on Photobucket.com

When I decided to take on this challenge :) Google search was the first place I started. After looking at several recipes and of course consulting with my husband, this is what I pieced together and tried for my first batch of calzones.

1 1/3 pounds ground Italian sausage
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 handful grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t nutmeg
fresh black pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
*Pizza dough (recipe above)
2 cups marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Brown sausage in a small skillet in a drizzle of olive oil. Transfer the cooked crumbled sausage to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Combine sausage with ricotta, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and pepper. Shape 1/4 piece of dough* on an 8 - 9" dinner plate, press to edges. Use 1/2 cup mozzarella on half of dough round and pile a mound of filling on top of the cheese. Fold dough over and pinch edges to seal. The result is a half-moon shaped calzone. Repeat steps for remaining 3 pieces of dough. Bake 25 - 35 minutes or until golden brown.

A couple of tips:
~ Use two cups of cubed or one pound thinly sliced ham instead of sausage.
~ Whip the ricotta cheese for a couple of minutes for a creamier consistency.
~ Add a sprinkle or two of dried red peppers for a bit of spiciness.

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Quick Calzones: Super easy, with only 6 ingredients!

Mushroom and Cheese Calzones: Perfect if you love mushrooms!

Three Cheese Calzone: Refrigerated pizza dough makes it quick.

Calzones: This is what my husband would call a west coast calzone.

Crab Calzone: Kind of off beat...sounds extra yummy though!

Spinach and Ricotta Calzone: This got a big no-no, I think it sounds good!

Perfect Pepperoni Calzones: Bet your teens would love this one!

Got this recipe when I participated in a day of cheese making at our local extension office. I was amazed at how simple ricotta cheese was to make! Here ya go...enjoy.

In a heavy pot*, over direct heat, heat 2 quarts of whole milk to 200°. Add 3 T of white vinegar or 1/4 Cup of lemon juice. While stirring, bring the temperature back up to 200°. You will see very tiny white particles floating in the whey.

Remove the pot from the heat and set it, covered, to rest undisturbed for about 15 minutes.

Line a colander with very fine cheesecloth. You must use a very fine cloth here or your cheese will pass through the cloth. If you do not have fine cheesecloth, use a clean cotton cloth, like a pillow case or flour sack dish towel. Place the colander over a big pot so you can save the whey. Be very careful because the liquid is hot. Once most of the liquid as drained off tie the ends of the cheesecloth together and hang the ricotta to drain for an hour or so (the longer you hang it, the "drier" your finished cheese will be).

When it has drained, place the ricotta in a bowl, break up, stir and add salt (optional) to taste (1/4 tsp.- 1/2 tsp.). This ricotta cheese recipe will keep for about a week in the fridge.

* This can be done in the microwave if you choose. Make sure to use a glass container and monitor the heat of the milk at 1 1/2 to 2 minute intervals.

Picture courtesy of matthewandwhitney on Photobucket.com.

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