Lunch Calzone Recipes

EASY CALZONES

Steps:

• Place the frozen rolls (or frozen bread loaves) on a baking sheet to thaw. Cover with a tea towel and let thaw and rise for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the sausage and cook until brown, crumbling the sausage as you stir. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Remove from the skillet and allow to cool on a plate.
• In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, some pepper, parsley and 2 eggs.
• When the sausage is cool, stir it into the cheese mixture and set aside.
• When the rolls are thawed and risen, roll them out on a lightly floured surface until paper thin. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the filling onto half of the dough circle. Fold half of the dough over itself, and then press the edges to seal.
• Brush the surface of each calzone with the beaten egg, and then bake until nice and golden brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Serve with warm Marinara Sauce.
• Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a hot pan over medium-high heat and throw in the garlic and chopped onions and give them a stir.
• Now add the wine (or chicken broth), whisking to deglaze the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquid reduces by half.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Toward the end of the cooking process, chop up your fresh parsley and basil and add it to the sauce to taste, stirring to combine.

QUICK CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into four portions. Roll each into a 6-in. circle. Spread 1/4 cup sauce over half of each circle to within 1/2 in. of edge; top with 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet., Brush milk over tops; sprinkle with Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

HOMEMADE CALZONES WITH FILLINGS BAR

Steps:

• For the dough: Lightly oil a large bowl. Combine the yeast, salt, sugar and 2 1/4 cups of the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and stir to combine. With the mixer running, add the water and oil. Beat until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. If the dough is too wet, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is still soft and slightly sticky, but you can turn it out. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• For the calzones: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix together the mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Turn out the dough and divide it into 4 pieces. Gently pull and stretch each piece of dough into a 7- to 8-inch round, trying to keep the thickness of the dough fairly even. Lay out the rounds and spoon one-quarter of the cheese mixture onto one side of each round (about 1/2 cup per round). Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the Homemade Pizza Sauce onto the cheese. Add up to 1/3 cup of your preferred topping onto each of the calzones, then fold the side of the dough over the fillings. Fold and crimp the edges to seal them completely.
• Transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheet and brush them lightly with oil. Use a sharp paring knife to cut 1 or 2 vents into each, then bake until deep golden brown, about 18 minutes.
• Serve with additional Homemade Pizza Sauce on the side, if desired.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oregano, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, with the saucepan loosely covered in foil to avoid splattering and stirring occasionally, until fairly thick, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your tomatoes. Remove the basil.

CALZONE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup (100 ml) of lukewarm water (taken from the 3 cups / 700 ml).
• Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
• Add the olive oil and the flour, and mix, gradually adding the water, until you obtain a smooth and elastic dough.
• Finally, add the salt, and knead for 3 minutes.
• Cover the dough, and let it rise at room temperature for 2 hours, when it should double in size.
• Knock back the dough on a floured work surface, and divide it into 8 equal pieces, about 4 oz (125 g) each, and roll out.
• In a bowl, mix the ricotta, salami or ham, and a little pepper. Add the egg yolks and the Pecorino Romano, then the mozzarella and the Scamorza.
• Mix to obtain a somewhat firm, homogeneous cream. Set aside.
• On a floured work surface, thinly roll out a piece of dough into a disc like a pizza.
• Spread 2 tablespoons of passata in the center, and then spread ⅛ of the filling, leaving about ½ inch (1 cm) around the edges.
• Fold the disc into a half-moon shape, then starting from the center and working toward the ends, seal it well by firmly pressing the edges together.
• Fold the edges inward, and press down again.
• Repeat with the rest of the dough, the passata, and the filling.
• Place the calzoni onto 4 baking sheets lined with parchment paper (2 calzoni per sheet).
• Brush the surface of each calzone with passata.
• Place in a warm place for another 20 minutes to rise again.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 440 F (225˚C).
• Drizzle olive oil on each calzone, and place one baking sheet of calzoni toward the bottom of the oven.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• The calzoni should swell a little, turn a little brown, and their surface should dry a little.
• To check if the calzone is fully baked, check the underside: the dough must be golden and not white.
• Remove the calzoni from the oven, and bake the rest, two at a time.
• Eat hot or warm.

CALZONE

Steps:

• First, make your Pizza Dough. Preheat the oven to 450 to 500 degrees F, then tear the punched-down dough into 4 pieces and roll each out on a floured surface. You want to get them roughly circular, about the thickness of a silver dollar, and 12 inches across. You can now either keep these in the refrigerator, stacked and separated with olive-oil-rubbed and flour-dusted aluminum foil, until you're ready to cook them, or you can put your topping on and cook them straightaway.
• Pour a large glug of olive oil into a hot frying pan. Add the mushrooms and toss briefly in the hot oil before adding the sliced garlic and the thyme. Fry until the mushrooms are cooked and smell fantastic. Drop in the butter and toss the mushrooms in it to make them tasty and shiny. Season with a little salt and pepper.
• Add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir. Cook for a few minutes, then add the spinach (in batches if you need to) and stir again. Simmer away the liquid until you're left with a thick, tasty mixture that's not too moist (otherwise it will burst through the dough when you're cooking the calzone).
• Divide the mushroom and spinach mixture evenly between the 4 pizza bases and spread it out nicely. Top with pieces of mozzarella and season with salt and pepper. To make your calzone, carefully lift the far edge of the Pizza Dough and pull it over the top toward you - you basically need to fold it in half (imagine it looking like a big Cornish pasty!). Crimp the edges so none of the filling can spill out. Place the calzone side by side on a floured baking sheet, (use 2 if needed), pizza stone or granite slab.
• Cook for 10 to 15 minutes on the bottom of the preheated oven until the dough is puffed up and golden on top and the filling is hot.
• Sift the flours and salt onto a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. In a large measuring cup, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough.
• Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and flour the top of it. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm room for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
• Now remove the dough to a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out with your hands - this is called punching down the dough. You can either use it immediately, or keep it, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge (or freezer) until required. If using straightaway, divide the dough up into as many little balls as you want to make pizzas - this amount of dough is enough to make about six to eight medium pizzas.
• Timing-wise, it's a good idea to roll the pizzas out about 15 to 20 minutes before you want to cook them. Don't roll them out and leave them hanging around for a few hours, though - if you are working in advance like this it's better to leave your dough, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. However, if you want to get them rolled out so there's 1 less thing to do when your guests are round, simply roll the dough out into rough circles, about 1/4-inch thick, and place them on slightly larger pieces of olive-oil-rubbed and flour-dusted aluminum foil. You can then stack the pizzas, cover them with plastic wrap, and pop them into the refrigerator.

SAUSAGE CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• 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, parsley, garlic, Parmigiano, nutmeg, pepper, and pimento. Roll out doughs and halve cross-wise. Place a dough rectangle on a nonstick cookie sheet. Use 1/2 cup mozzarella on half of each dough rectangle and pile a mound of filling on half of the total area. Fold dough over and pinch edges to seal. The result is a rectangular turnover.
• For half-moon shaped calzones, trim excess dough. Roll dough bits into strips, tie in knots and brush with garlic oil and cheese. Garlic knots are fun to dip at the table.
• Bake calzones 15 minutes or until golden all over. Serve calzones with warm tomato, marinara, or pizza sauce for dipping.
• Cook's Note: For an additional time saver, 2 packages precooked sausage crumbles, 8 ounces each, may be substituted for raw Italian sausage used in the above recipe.
• Add olive oil to medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add garlic and crushed pepper to the heated olive oil; when pepper snaps and garlic sizzles, stir in crushed tomatoes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes and stir in parsley. Serve.
• Yield: 4 servings

CALZONE

Steps:

• Cook the rice according to package directions, let cool. Mix the onions, parsley, basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper into the ground beef. Saute until the meat is browned and all of the red is gone. After sauteing, drain the beef and cool (best if refrigerated). When beef has cooled, add sauces, cheese and bread crumbs 1/2 a cup at a time. Mix in well, result should not be too stiff. Adjust if necessary with bread crumbs or sauces. Check to be sure the seasonings are to taste.
• Roll out the dough into approximately 6-inch circles, put in 1/3-cup meat mixture and fold over like an apple turnover. Squeeze edges with a fork and deep fry until golden brown.