Calzones

I don’t know where I first got the idea about making calzones, but I’ve been thinking about them for months now.  I remembered them as part of my high school cafeteria’s lunch schedule, usually just filled with lots of cheese and tomato sauce.  Of course, I wasn’t really going for that type of calzone.  Instead, I made a very basic pizza dough, and filled my calzones with sweet Italian sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and fresh mozzarella.  I served these with a homemade marinara sauce on the side.  Besides the hour of rise time for the dough, these came together very quickly and had a lovely crust with steaming hot filling inside.  I’m happy to report that these are much, much better than any cafeteria calzone.

I imagine that you can really fill these with anything – I’m already dreaming of future combinations.  My husband mentioned he would love a calzone stuffed with pepperoni and cheese (and knowing me, I’d try to sneak a vegetable in there somehow!).  A vegetarian version version with grilled eggplant and roasted red peppers, or one with ricotta and spinach, etc.  Anybody have any other fun calzone combinations in mind?

I chose to make two big (more like gigantic) calzones instead of several smaller ones.  There were only two of us eating and big ones seemed like more fun.  Neither of us finished, but the leftovers reheated well in the oven and tasted great the next day.

Calzones (sausage, mushroom, spinach & mozzarella)

For the dough:

• 1 pkg of active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t salt

For the filling

• 1 lb. of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup of sliced white mushrooms (creminis would be great here too)
• 2 cups baby spinach
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly (can also use shredded)

Additional ingredients:  1 egg, lightly beaten to brush the calzones with before baking; marinara sauce on the side

Making the dough:

In a large bowl, combine the yeast and warm water.  Stir to dissolve and let stand for about 5 minutes, until foamy.  Add the flour, olive oil, and salt.  Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.  When all the ingredients have come together into a dough, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.   Start kneading the dough.  If it feels sticky, add more flour, 1 T at a time.  Sometimes, I don’t need to add anything – sometimes I end up adding another 1/4 cup – you just have to know how the dough should feel under your hands.  The dough should be easy to knead, not coming apart or sticking much to the surface or to your hands.  Knead for about 5 minutes and then transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl.   Cover with plastic wrap and leave it alone for about 1 hour, until the dough as doubled.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling:

In a large saute pan or Dutch oven, brown the sausage and cook until it is no longer pink.   If more than 1 T of fat has rendered out of the sausage, drain it and only leave about 1 T.  At this point, you can add the mushrooms and saute until reduced and tender.  At the end, add the spinach and let it wilt down.  Add a pinch of crushed red pepper, and salt & pepper to taste.  Put aside the filling and let it cool.

Making the calzones:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the center of the oven.  Line a baking sheet with parchmnet paper.

Punch the dough down in the bowl and divide it into 2-4 sections, depending on how many calzones you would like.

Roll each section into a round.  Divide the filling up among the calzones, putting the filling on one side of the circle.  Top the filling with cheese.  Fold over the other side over the filling, and then crimp the edges to seal the calzone.  I took the bottom half and rolled it over the top.  Brush the calzones with the egg wash.  Bake for 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Serve with marinara sauce on the side.