Calzone

My Nonna made homemade pizza every Friday when I was growing up. Once in a while she would change it up and whip up Calzone’s from the same pizza dough recipe. Making them from scratch is one of the most satisfying things I do! You can vary your flour types in this recipe, but my husband and I made this one the traditional Naples way. There’s an instructional video on my Instagram (@christinacooks) if you want to watch the process step by step.

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredient List:

Pizza Dough

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 2 cups (approx) warm water
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown rice syrup
• 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 250 grams semola flour (2 cups)
• 250 grams 00 flour (2 cups)

Filling

• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• sea salt
• 3-4 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced in diagonals
• 8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 link vegan italian sausage substitute, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
• 1/2 bunch broccoli rabe, rinsed and cut into bite size pieces

Step By Step Instructions:

To make the pizza dough, stir yeast and sweetener into 1/2 cup warm water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes or until foamy. In the meantime, Mix together, salt and flours, blending well. When the yeast has foamed add it and the oil to the flour mix and stir well. Slowly mix in water to form a soft, moist dough. This is what makes a crispy crust. Transfer to a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and knead the dough on medium speed in the mixer for 6 minutes. The dough will form a ball and clear the sides of the bowl. You may also transfer the soft ball of dough to a lightly floured cutting board and knead for 9 minutes.

Transfer the completed dough to an oiled bowl twice the size of the dough. Place the dough in the oiled bowl and turn it to coat it evenly with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, cover with a tea towel or cloth napkin and set aside to rise for 90 minutes. It should double in size.

While the dough rises, make the filling. Place a small amount of olive oil, garlic and onions in a skillet over medium heat. When the onions sizzle, add a pinch of salt and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms, a pinch of salt and cook, stirring until coated with oil. Add zucchini, a pinch of salt and cook, stirring until coated with oil. Stir in tomatoes and vegan sausage, reduce heat to low and braise for 3-4 minutes. Stir in broccoli rabe, season to taste with salt and cover. Cook over low heat until the broccoli rabe has just wilted. 

When the dough and filling are ready, punch down the dough and pull off half. (Place the remaining half in an oiled bowl, cover and put in the fridge for a future pizza. It will last a few days). Line a pizza tin with parchment (cut to the size of the tin) and sprinkle it lightly with semola or 00 flour. Press the dough into a disk and pull and press it into a circle that fills most of the pizza tin, taking care not to tear the dough. It will be quite easily pushed and pulled. 

Place the filling down the center of the dough. Using the parchment to guide you, pull one half of the dough over the other and press to seal the filling in. Using your thumb and forefingers of both hands, press the edge of the calzone into a decorative seam. Make 3 slits in the calzone to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 500F for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 450oF and continue baking for another 10 minutes. The calzome should be lightly browned and feel hollow when you tap it. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.