Calzones !

Turkey, Spinach and Smoked Gouda in back; Sausage with Mozzarella and Marinara up front

So there we were...first NFL Sunday of the year upon us, and some extra pizza dough in the fridge, (The dough was left over from a deep fryer adventure...I'll get around to blogging one of those someday !) . My usual goal is to get whatever I'm making started before kickoff, and I thought calzones would fit the bill very nicely. Of course, I didn't get my butt to the store and back in time to start these before kickoff...hey, it wasn't the Pats anyway :).

Calzones - the original Hot Pockets, as the crazy men who live here refer to them - are really wonderful little marvels of the kitchen. They are astoundingly easy to make (especially if someone buys pizza dough at the store, like with this batch; homemade dough is also pretty simple, if you're into it. Which I am :) ), they cook surprisingly quickly, and you can throw just about anything in the damn things. They hang out happily at parties and on buffet tables, they're great by themselves (veggie-filled ones need nothing else; meat ones play quite nicely with a simple salad for dinner), and they're even great left over.

I am giving you a basic recipe here, with three filling variations The half round one was made on a pizza stone, and the oblong ones were made on CushionAir pans - both worked very well, though a regular baking sheet would be just fine too.

Definitely have fun with this one, the sky's the limit !

dough ready to fill

Italian Cold Cuts and mozzarella

sausage, waiting for provolone

ready for the oven

Turkey, Spinach, Smoked Gouda

Italian

Basic Calzone

1 pound pizza dough (from supermarket, or your favorite recipe....enough for one pizza)
2 - 3 cups filling
beaten egg, for brushing
coarse cornmeal


Preheat oven to 400. Roll dough out - round or square, depending on your pan and your preference. Sprinkle pan with cornmeal, and place dough on pan. Cover half the surface with your chosen filling, fold over and pinch together to make a seal. Brush with egg. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool before slicing.

Turkey, Spinach and Gouda filling

1 lb turkey breast cutlets
1 T canola oil
1 lb spinach leaves, stems removed if large
salt and pepper
1/2 lb smoked Gouda, cut into small cubes

In large saute pan, heat 2 tsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Saute turkey about 5 minutes per side, until done. Remove turkey, add rest of oil to pan. Add spinach, lower heat and cover tightly. The spinach will have wilted in a few minutes. Remove from heat, and and add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Spread over prepared dough, seal, and bake as directed.

Sausage and Cheese filling

1 package (8) Italian sausages
1/2 lb provolone, sliced
1 cup marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Prick sausages with fork and place on broiler pan. Bake for about 45 - 50 minutes. or until done. Let cool briefly, and slice

Spread marinara sauce over prepared dough. Spread sausages over sauce, and cover with cheese slices. Seal and bake as directed.

Italian Cold Cut filling

1 tsp olive oil
3/4 lb assorted Italian cold cuts (we used capicola, prosciutto, and a little pepperoni)
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese (grated or sliced)
sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional)

Drizzle olive oil over prepared dough. Layer cold cuts, then cheese on dough, fold over and seal as directed. Sprinkle top with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake as directed.