Southwestern Calzones Recipes

REAL ITALIAN CALZONES

Steps:

• To Make Dough: In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled.
• To Make Filling: While dough is rising, combine the ricotta cheese, Cheddar cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms and basil leaves in a large bowl. Mix well, cover bowl and refrigerate to chill.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese/meat filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

CALZONE

Steps:

• 1. Thaw bread dough overnight. Preheat oven to 425°. After browning meat, add onion, garlic, tomato sauce and spices. Simmer 5 minutes. remove from heat and add the cheeses. Set aside to cool slightly while working with bread dough.
• 2. Cut bread dough into eight pieces. roll each into a circle (I used an 8 inch). place 1/3 cup filling into each circle. Brush edges with egg white. fold over and press edges with fork to seal. cut or prick top to allow steam to escape. brush top with beaten egg yolk. Bake 12 minutes or until brown.
• 3. To make this a southwestern recipe: Instead of Italian sausage use Mexican sausage or hamburger. Taco seasoning instead of oregano and basil. (Also you can add 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper if desired) 1 cup of Shredded Mexican cheese instead of mozzarella and cottage cheeses. Prepare as above