Spicy Calzone Recipes

Steps:

• Place the frozen rolls (or frozen bread loaves) on a baking sheet to thaw. Cover with a tea towel and let thaw and rise for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the sausage and cook until brown, crumbling the sausage as you stir. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Remove from the skillet and allow to cool on a plate.
• In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, some pepper, parsley and 2 eggs.
• When the sausage is cool, stir it into the cheese mixture and set aside.
• When the rolls are thawed and risen, roll them out on a lightly floured surface until paper thin. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the filling onto half of the dough circle. Fold half of the dough over itself, and then press the edges to seal.
• Brush the surface of each calzone with the beaten egg, and then bake until nice and golden brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Serve with warm Marinara Sauce.
• Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a hot pan over medium-high heat and throw in the garlic and chopped onions and give them a stir.
• Now add the wine (or chicken broth), whisking to deglaze the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquid reduces by half.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Toward the end of the cooking process, chop up your fresh parsley and basil and add it to the sauce to taste, stirring to combine.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Measure the imprinted stitching on an approximately 12-by-8-inch football-shaped baking pan and cut the provolone into 2 long strips and 7 shorter strips to imitate; set aside. Spray the football pan with the cooking spray.
• Unroll 1 tube of dough and cut in half widthwise. Bake one of the halves on the prepared baking sheet until lightly done, about 8 minutes. (Reserve the other half of the dough.) Use a knife or kitchen shears to cut the baked dough into a football shape slightly smaller than the pan.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the Buffalo sauce and shredded chicken.
• Unroll the remaining tube of dough and drape into the prepared football pan, letting the extra dough hang over the sides. Fill with half of the chicken mixture, half of the grated Swiss or mozzarella and half of the scallions. Top with the football-shaped crust. Add the remaining chicken mixture, grated cheese and scallions. Add the blue cheese. Top with the reserved uncooked dough half. Use a knife to trim the excess edges of dough, leaving a little extra to pinch the 2 edges of dough together. Put the pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake until the crust is just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and invert the football pan onto the baking sheet to unmold the calzone. Drizzle the crust with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Continue to bake until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Arrange the strips of provolone to mimic the football stitching; the heat of the calzone will slightly melt the cheese and adhere it to the football. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Slice and serve with ranch dressing for dipping, and celery sticks on the side.

Steps:

• 1. Brown ground beef or sausage with onion and bell pepper. Stir in sliced Connecuh sausage. (Feel free to add any meat you like, Italian sausage is awesome). Drain meat.
• 2. Pour in 3/4 jar of Paul Newman's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce (or your choice I use PN's for ease and it has a lot of flavor).
• 3. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning.
• 4. Spray your long jelly roll pan with Pam. Roll out the pizza dough in a square or round shape, your choice.
• 5. Line the dough with slices of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.
• 6. In the center spoon the meat sauce.
• 7. For the square shaped: Fold over one end and then fold the other end to overlap. Fold the end pieces up to seal the calzone. Fold over so the seam is on the bottom. For the Round dough: Fold over like a crescent moon and pinch the ends to close the calzone.
• 8. I brush my calzone with melted butter and sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
• 9. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
• 10. While this is baking I heat the remaining sauce in a saucepan on medium/low for dipping or drizzling over the calzone.

Steps:

• Place a baking sheet upside down in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Beat the eggs, parsley and lemon zest in a small bowl. Pour half of the egg mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the mozzarella. Reserve the remaining egg mixture for brushing on the crust.
• Turn another baking sheet upside down; line with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Unroll the dough on the parchment paper and pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread the mozzarella mixture over one half of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge. Top with the salami, followed by the pickled vegetables and provolone. Fold the other half of the dough over to cover the filling. Crimp and roll the edges to seal, then pierce the top of the dough in a few places with a knife.
• Slide the calzone with the parchment paper onto the hot baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining egg mixture, then continue to bake until the crust is golden, 5 to 10 more minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then cut into wedges.

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