Calzones

All hands on deck. 

Tonight is pizza night and everything is prepped and ready to go.  All we need are the chef’s to head to the kitchen.  It is an unspoken rule that everyone who is home on pizza night is in charge of making up their own personal pizza. 

As my daughter Lindsey is shaping her dough into a nicely shaped circle, she says to me, “I think I’ll make a calzone?”  Brilliant I say, and we proceed to turn pizza night into calzone night.

Chef Lindsey assembled a hearty meat-lovers calzone.  Slathered with sauce then stuffed with pepperoni, sausage and cheese, then she completed her creation with a side of pizza sauce for dipping.  Delish!  Not a crumb was left.

Really, what is a calzone? Simply put, a calzone is a folded pizza that is neat and tidy in its own little turnover style package, which results in an all-encompassing crispy, yet chewy crust with a melty oozy center that has the exact same flavors as pizza.

But then again, your calzone doesn’t have to have a pizza inspired center.  You can fold just about anything into the center and it would be delicious. Like ricotta and spinach, bbq chicken and grilled onions, or any combination of leftover meats and vegetables.  Just make sure that whatever you choose is drained well or it will make your bottom crust soggy.

A few things to think about when changing up pizza night into calzone night;

1.    Leave your edges clean so that you have at least a ½ inch area all the way around to fold and seal your calzone.

2.    To seal the edges, fold your calzone in half and press the edges together with your finger tips or a fork, then fold the edge over itself one more time to make a well-sealed defined edge

3.    Poke about six tiny holes in the top to vent the steam.  You won’t even notice them when the calzone is done baking.

4.    Brush the top and edge of the calzone with cold tap water before placing in the oven to help crisp up the crust.

5.    I baked the calzones in a preheated 500 degree oven on a pizza stone on the bottom rack for a total of 10 minutes.  Turning the calzone a couple of times to ensure even cooking.

You can find the recipes I used by clicking on the links below.

Buon Appetito!

PIZZA TIPS and TRICKS

You never know when these may come in handy?

PIZZA DOUGH

Pizza dough is best if given time to chill out.

PIZZA SAUCE

This truly is the best pizza sauce that I have made.  My husband loves it.