Calzone With Sausage Spinach Fontina And Pine Nuts Recipes

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

SPINACH, RICOTTA AND SAUSAGE CALZONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
• Cook spinach as directed on box; allow to sit a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Squeeze cooked spinach between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place spinach in large bowl. Add sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan and the Italian seasoning to bowl; stir until well combined.
• Divide pizza dough into 8 balls. Roll and press each ball into a circle 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Place meat mixture onto one half of each of the balls, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Fold dough over filling; pinch and roll edges to seal in filling.
• Transfer to cookie sheet. Brush tops of calzones with egg. Prick tops of calzones with fork to allow steam to escape.
• Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until dough is golden brown, topping with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese during last 3 minutes of baking. Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheet. Serve warm with pizza sauce.
• Freezer Directions: Make as directed through step 3. Place on cookie sheet, and freeze about 4 hours or until firm. Place frozen calzones in resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze. When ready to cook, place calzones on cookie sheet, and brush with egg. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown, topping with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan during last 3 minutes of baking. Serve with pizza sauce.

SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA CALZONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. Divide pizza dough into 8 pieces. Roll out each into 8-inch round disk.
• To make filling, in 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Add spinach; continue to cook about 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; set aside.
• In large bowl, mix cooked sausage, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, nutmeg, pepper and onion-spinach mixture.
• To make each calzone, place filling in center of dough round. (Resist the temptation to overfill the dough.) Fold dough over; press edge and twist to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut calzones in half to serve.

SAUSAGE, SPINACH AND RICOTTA CALZONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead** on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Cover and let rest on floured surface while preparing filling.
• Cook sausage in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through; remove from skillet and drain excess fat. Add spinach and water to skillet; saute 1 to 2 minutes until spinach is wilted; drain. Return sausage to pan.
• Combine ricotta, mozzarella and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir in Italian herb seasoning, crushed red pepper and garlic salt; set aside.
• To make calzones divide dough into four portions. Roll 1 portion into an 8-inch circle on a floured surface. Spread approximately 1/3 cup ricotta mixture in center bottom half of dough. Top with heaping 1/3 cup sausage spinach mixture leaving outer 1/2-inch free of filling. Fold top half of dough over filling. Pull edge of lower crust over top; folding and pressing layers together to form a seal. Carefully transfer to greased baking sheet. Cut 3 to 4 vents in top. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to cooling rack to keep bottom crust crisp while cooling slightly. Serve with pizza sauce or other sauce for dipping.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE CALZONE

Steps:

• Unroll pizza dough onto an ungreased baking sheet; pat into a 14x11-in. rectangle. Spread pizza sauce over 1 long side of dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. , Layer the spinach, sausage, mushrooms and cheese over sauce. Fold dough over filling; pinch seams to seal. , Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Freeze option: Freeze cooled unsliced calzone in a freezer container. To use, place calzone on an ungreased baking sheet, cover with foil and reheat in a preheated 375° oven 10 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through.

SAUSAGE & SPINACH CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, cook and crumble sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, 4-6 minutes; drain. Add spinach; cook and stir until wilted. Remove from heat., On a lightly floured surface, unroll and pat dough into a 15x11-in. rectangle. Cut into 4 rectangles. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on half of each rectangle to within 1 in. of edges., Stir ricotta cheese and pepper into sausage mixture; spoon over mozzarella cheese. Fold dough over filling; press edges with a fork to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet., Bake until light golden brown, 10-15 minutes. If desired, serve with pizza sauce.Freeze option: Freeze cooled calzones in an airtight freezer container. To use, microwave calzone on high until heated through.

SPINACH AND SAUSAGE CALZONES

Steps:

• CRUST: Blend flour, garlic, herbs and salt in medium bowl.
• Cut chilled shortening into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut chilled shortening cubes into flour mixture, using a pastry blender in an up and down chopping motion, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea-sized pieces remaining.
• Sprinkle half the maximum recommended ice water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl, to the top distributing the moisture evenly into the flour. Press chunks down to the bottom of bowl with fork. Add more water by the tablespoons until the dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed together. Shape dough into ball. Flatten ball into 1/2-inch thick round. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet . Add the sausage and cook until crumbled and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, and cook until wilted. Let cool about 10 minutes. Add the cheeses. Reserve.
• Roll out dough on a lightly flour surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 4-inch circles. You should get 8 circles. You may have to gather up leftover dough and re-roll. Place 1 teaspoons tomato sauce on one side of the circle. Top with 1 tablespoons cooled sausage mixture. Brush edges with beaten egg and crimp and seal around edges wirh a fork.
• Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• TIPS; Filling can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.

SAUSAGE AND ROASTED PEPPER CALZONE

Steps:

• Allow both crust pouches to stand at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in large skillet brown sausage with onions and garlic; drain. Stir in basil, Italian seasoning and pepper. In small bowl, beat eggs with fork. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons; set aside. Add ricotta cheese to remaining eggs; mix well. Stir into sausage mixture. Add mozzarella cheese, red peppers and 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts; mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Remove crusts from pouches; unfold. Press out fold lines. If crusts crack, wet fingers and push edges together. Place one prepared crust on end of large ungreased cookie sheet with about 1/3 of crust hanging over edge. Spoon half of sausage mixture over half of crust on cookie sheet, leaving about 1-inch border and mounding filling towards center. Fold pie crust half over filling; press edges with fork to seal. Cut four 1-inch slits in top of crust. Repeat with second crust and remaining filling at opposite end of cookie sheet. Brush with reserved 1 1/2 tablespoons egg. Sprinkle with remaining pine nuts.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. To serve, cut each calzone in half or into 3 wedges.

UNBELIEVABLE SPINACH CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and spinach. Set aside.
• Divide the bread dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece out to about an 8 inch circle. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the ricotta filling onto each circle, fold over and seal the edges. Place onto a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until nicely browned on the tops and bottoms.

SAUSAGE CALZONE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375ºF.
• Unroll pizza dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; pat into 12x10-inch rectangle.
• Cook sausage, onions and mushrooms in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 5 min. or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Spread pizza sauce onto half the dough to within 1 inch of edges; top with 1/2 cup mozzarella, sausage mixture and remaining mozzarella. Fold dough over filling; seal edges with fork.
• Bake 18 to 20 min. or until golden brown. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

SCRUMPTIOUS SAUSAGE CALZONES

Steps:

• In large bowl, dissolve yeast in water& milk.
• Add oil, salt, sugar and 2 cups of flour; beat until smooth.
• Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface& knead until smooth& elastic- approx.
• 6-8 minutes.
• Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.
• Cover& let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain.
• Add spinach, cheeses, parsley& pepper; mix well.
• (mushrooms, onions, etc. can be added at this point) Punch down dough; divide into six pieces.
• On floured surface, roll each piece into 8" circle.
• Top each w/ 2/3 c.
• filling.
• Fold dough over filling; pinch to seal.
• Place on greased baking sheets that have been sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Brush tops lightly with oil; sprinkle with garlic salt.
• Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve with pizza sauce.

CALZONE WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, FONTINA, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Prepare a very hot fire (650°F) in a wood-fired oven or cooker.
• Put the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a high-heatproof terra-cotta baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Add the onions, sausage, and garlic. Place in the center of the wood-fired oven to cook until the sausage is lightly crisped and the onions and garlic are well caramelized, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the spinach and red pepper flakes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• When ready to form the dough, flour a baking peel and shape each dough ball into an 8-inch round on the peel. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil without getting the oil on the peel. Spread the filling on half of the dough, leaving 3/4 inch on the edge. Add the mint, then sprinkle with the cheese and pine nuts. Lightly salt.
• Fold the dough over the filling, matching up the edges. Fold the edges over to further seal and crimp closed with a fork. Lightly brush the top with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Slide the calzones onto the floor of the wood-fired oven, 8 to 10 inches away from the heat source, and bake, turning occasionally for even color, until they are puffed and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut in half and serve.