I know I live in Philly but can I confess something – I have NEVER had a calzone – like ever. I just figured “ehhh – it’s a pizza sandwich” but boy was I wrong.
Now – while I’m in the confessing state of mind, I have to disclose that I made this when I was crazy swamped and I did not make the semolina pizza dough as described in the book and used a jarred marinara sauce. Yup – I had a “wing it” moment and it’s simple enough for a weeknight meal! My neighbors were ready to whap me with a stiletto as the oven at 500 degrees turned all 3 of my fire alarms into a loud and annoying Greek chorus. Picture me racing up and down the hall with a broom waved crazily above my head going “BUT THERE’S NO SMOKE! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE ALARMS?” You know what set those dumb alarms off – I didn’t seal one of the calzones tight enough and some of the smoked mozzarella got onto the pizza stone and got a bit “crispy”. Still no smoke but apparently those smoke detectors not only can detect non-existent smoke, but the smell of things getting a bit crisp. Another tip – don’t get the sauce too close to the edge or it just won’t seal and things get “interesting”.
All in all, I’ll be making this again – just might have to take the batteries out of the smoke detectors first. If you buy pizza dough, remember to halve the recipe in the book. I had enough for four mini calzones which was just right.
Gather the Ingredients
Mmmmm… salami, sopressata and smoked mozzarella!
Time to assemble
Hot and crispy from the oven
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Ingredients
- 1 ball of store bought pizza dough
- 1/2 cup of your favorite marinara sauce
- 4 ounces sopressata, and Genoa salami, chopped
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, drained
- 4 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 – 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel
- Olive oil and additional parmesan cheese for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F and place a pizza stone or upside down rimmed baking sheet on the bottom oven rack.
- Cut the pizza dough into 4 quarters and set aside.
- Add a bit of flour to the cutting board or counter to assist with rolling out the dough.
- Roll each dough quarter to form a round.
- Spread some of the marinara sauce on the bottom half, leaving a 1 inch boarder.
- Sprinkle some of the chopped sopressata and salami over the sauce.
- Follow with some ricotta cheese, smoked mozzarella and parmesan.
- Top the cheese with a bit of the chopped roasted red pepper and garnish with some crushed red pepper.
- Gently fold the top half of the dough over the filling, rolling and pressing the edges to seal them.
- Lightly brush with olive oil and garnish with a bit of parmesan cheese.
- Follow the same instructions with the remaining dough and filling.
- Cut small slits at the top of the calzone to allow air to escape while baking and transfer to a pizza peel or spatula that has been lightly dusted with cornmeal or flour (to prevent sticking).
- Bake for 16 minutes or until the top is golden brown and dough is cooked through.
- Remove the calzones from the oven with the pizza peel or a spatula, and serve immediately or at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
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