Pizza Pocket
Alright, enough already of all of that vegan stuff. You can see that I wouldn’t last very long as a vegan. Meat I could do without, but dairy? No way. I love cheese too much. But it was fun to try. Now, back to my regular cooking routine: I used up the last of my marinara sauce and made a very delicious calzone with all my favorite pizza toppings. When David and I were dating, we used to have dinner sometimes with Jessie and Jerrod in their tiny on-campus apartment, and this is one of the dishes I remember Jessie making. It’s pretty quick, and so versatile–you can throw whatever you like in the middle of the crust, and it will cook up to a nice gooey flavor medley. For this one, ham and olives are the things I love, so they take center stage. Here’s how the rest of it shakes out:
Ham and Vegetable Calzone
1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
3 cups flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. pesto (optional–sub other herbs if you wish)
2 T. olive oil
Marinara sauce (if you’re running low, add a can of crushed tomatoes or half a jar of Ragu to make it last)
Several slices ham, cut into slivers
Mixed vegetables: I used pepperoncini, green and black olives, chopped artichoke hearts, and slivers of garlic
Mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 8 ounces for 4 calzone)
Mix water, yeast, flour, sugar, pesto, and olive oil with the dough hook in your mixer until a ball forms. Let it rise, covered, for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat with oil and divide into fourths. Let it rest while you prepare the toppings. Roll out the dough into an oblong shape (see below) and cover one half of each calzone with sauce, then vegetables, then ham, then cheese. Fold over and seal with a fork. Pierce the top also with the fork, and brush with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is nice and golden. Serve with extra sauce, warmed, and a rich red wine like Chianti.
ENJOY!