I woke up this morning to the announcement that one of my best friends and his wife just had their new baby, so this Tuesday morning is definitely starting off on the right foot. I am so happy for them and their new 7 lb., 9 oz. bouncing baby girl!! Congratulations!
And with me being in Atlanta now with the fam, I’m making dinner for everyone tonight and so this day is sure to finish off on a high note as well. I just love family time! I’m thinking I might just whip up a few of these Calzones. I know for certain my niece and nephew will be on board for that!
My buddy Lee’s recipe for Calzone is great. It is quick and easy and you can personalize several of them to each person’s tastes and then just pop them in the oven about 20 minutes before everyone is ready to eat.
If you have the time, you can most definitely make your own dough. Here’s my mom’s Homemade Pizza Dough recipe. It’s pretty easy to make but it does take a little bit of time. You can add some Italian spices (like dried oregano and basil and a touch of garlic powder to the dough if you want to get fancy). If you don’t have the time, just buy it pre-made in the store. Trader Joes has a great dough for just about a buck and a quarter. Can’t beat that in terms of cost or time savings!
Also, if you have the time, you can make your own sauce…or just use some of the sauce that you froze from last week. 😉 There are two great Tiny Kitchen Big Taste sauces to choose from, the Back to Basics Tomato Sauce, which has a more vibrant tomato-y taste or the Best Tomato Sauce Ever, which is a more refined, sweeter sauce (from the basil) that’s pretty much…amazing!
Honestly, both sauces will work great for this recipe. The Basic Tomato Sauce might be more like what you would expect on a pizza…but it never hurts to mix things up either and try something new! You won’t be disappointed, I can assure you that. But, if you don’t have the time, no problem! Just buy your favorite sauce in a jar at the store. There are actually some really good ones out there now.
Other than that, all that’s left to do is decide on your toppings. We’re using pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions and mushrooms today; but just like a pizza, make it how you like it! You can prepare your own veggies, or again, if you want to save a bit of time, you can find them pre-cut in the store. They tend to be more expensive this way, so this is where, unless you are really on a time crunch, I think it’s better to chop your own.
My Grandpa, Nicola Fucci, at his Villa Nova Restaurant, on March 25, 1954.
I sometimes like to sauté the veggies before I stuff the Calzone, especially the onions. I am not a huge raw-onion-on-a-pizza person, but you sauté them a little bit and I am definitely in! Also, if I am going to put a lot of mushrooms in the calzone, I like to pre-cook them as well to remove some of the excess water.
Basically, no matter how you stuff it, this calzone is going to be good!
Now, my Grandpa used to make Calzone…and I always loved when he did. He would do it a bit differently though. There was no sauce inside. That was one of the key differences. The sauce would be reserved for the top of the calzone. Also, I remember he would put egg in his with all the toppings.
No doubt that whatever way you make it, it is one of those things that you’re never going to be disappointed. I mean, it’s your own personal folded pizza! What’s not to like?
You just have to decide on what to include in yours. Once you’ve decided on dinner, then start thinking about making a dessert Calzone with bananas or maybe mixed berries and Nutella. Mmm-mmm-mmm.
Check out Lee’s Silly Scriptures
Be sure to share some pics of your Calzone Creation on Instagram…and make sure you tag me in it (@tinykitchenTV). I love seeing what Tiny Kitchen recipe you’re cooking up.
And while you’re on Instagram, be sure to visit Lee’s Instagram page for his Silly Scriptures project. Here are all the links:
– Website: https://www.sillyscriptures.com/
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillyscriptures/
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SillyScriptures/
Until next week…
Lee's Calzone
Ingredients
SO WHAT YOU'RE GONNA NEED IS:
- 1 Pizza Crust or TK Homemade Crust: https://tinykitchen.com/mama-fuccis-homemade-pizza-dough
- 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce or TK Homemade Tomato Sauce: https://tinykitchen.com/best-tomato-sauce-ever
- 20 slices Pepperoni
- 4 ounces Ground Italian Sausage
- 1 medium Onion
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 5 Mushrooms
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
YOU'LL ALSO NEED:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Sauté the Sausage in a Frying Pan until cooked through
- Chop the Onions and Peppers and slice the Mushrooms.
- Dust cutting board with flour. Roll out Prepared Dough into a 10” circle (about 1/4 in. thick)
- Place desired about of Tomato Sauce on the surface of the dough, beginning in the center, spreading toward the edges until you have a 3/4 in border around the edge without sauce.
- On one half, place desired ingredients (meats, vegetables and cheese) in the sauce portion.
- Carefully lift the half without the toppings over the toppings until the Calzone is folded in half.
- Pinch or fold over the edges until the border is sealed.
- Transfer the Calzone to a Pizza Pan lined with Non-stick Aluminum Foil.
- 10. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
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