Three Meat Calzone Recipes

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, flour, and salt. Mix with a rubber spatula until well-combined and the dough comes together into a ball.
• Lightly flour a clean surface, then turn the dough out and knead for 1-2 minutes to smooth and encourage gluten development. Shape the dough into a ball.
• Drizzle the olive oil in a clean large bowl. Add the dough ball and turn to coat in the oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• While the dough is rising, make the filling: Add the sausage to a medium nonstick pan over medium heat and cook until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. Add the onion, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until the sausage is browned, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 4 portions, then roll each into and round about ¼-inch (½ cm) thick.
• Spread ¼ of the sauce over one half of each dough round, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) border along the edge. Top each one with 2 slices of ham, 5 pepperoni, ¼ of the sausage and onion mixture, and ¼ cup (25 G) of mozzarella cheese.
• Lightly beat the egg with a pinch of salt. Brush the egg wash on the border of the dough, fold the other half over, and press the edges together. Starting from one corner, fold the dough over itself in a twist. Tuck the other corner underneath. Transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with egg wash and score the tops with a knife to allow steam to escape.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Serve the calzones with marinara sauce for dipping, if desired.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: Combine tomato juice, yeast and 3/4 cup of the flour in a large bowl.
• Mix well then add oil, salt, and oregano, then gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup or so of flour.
• Work into a soft dough, then knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic.
• Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
• Begin preparing filling while you wait for dough to rise, see below.
• When dough has risen, divide it into 2 even balls and let rest another 15 minutes.
• Pat out dough balls into 2 crusts, each about 1/8 inch thick.
• To prepare filling: Brown the pepperoni a little in an ungreased non-stick skillet; add onion, garlic, pre-cooked and crumbled Italian sausage and ground beef.
• Cook together until ground beef is thoroughly cooked; pour off excess grease, then add oregano and tomato paste; stir to combine thoroughly and cook another 10 minutes.
• Add salt or pepper to taste and set aside to let cool for filling the calzone.
• To assemble the calzone: Spread filling on one half of the prepared crust; sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese and top with the other prepared crust and press down firmly along the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.
• Slash top crust with a knife as you would a pie, then bake on a lightly oiled pizza pan in a 450 degree oven 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Alternatively, you could make two separate calzones instead of one large one.

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for diffused indirect heat by building the hot coals evenly around the perimeter of the grill. Remove the center ring from the grill grate and insert a medium cast-iron skillet. Invert another larger cast-iron skillet over the top. This acts as a pizza oven for your outdoor grill. (If using a gas grill, heat to medium-high heat.)
• For the calzone dough: Add the flour, honey, salt and yeast to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Then add 1 3/4 cups room temperature water and the olive oil and pulse again until the dough comes together into a rough ball and rides around the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until a smooth elastic ball forms. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and place each in a quart-sized deli container or gallon-sized resealable plastic bag with a drizzle of olive oil. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate overnight and up to 5 days. This makes enough for 3 calzones. Save the extra dough in the freezer for another time. It will last up to 2 months.
• When ready to use, remove the dough from the refrigerator and take it out of its storage vessel while still cold. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 1 hour before grilling.
• For the cheese mixture: In the meantime, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino and herbs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• To make the calzones: On a lightly floured surface, roll out 2 balls of dough into 6-inch rounds. Spoon half of the cheese mixture onto each round, spreading it evenly but leaving a 1-inch border, then fold each round over in half. Crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers to seal it and place them onto the inverted cast-iron. Cover the grill and bake for 15 minutes. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the calzones with extra-virgin olive oil, cover the grill and bake until golden brown and the dough is cooked through, another 5 minutes.
• Remove from the grill and let sit for a few minutes before digging in!
• (Alternatively, you can place the calzones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a 375 degrees F oven until golden brown and the dough is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before eating.)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Make the filling: Mix the mozzarella, ricotta, basil, scallions, 1/4 cup parmesan and the breadcrumbs in a medium bowl until combined. Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface into a 7-to-8-inch round.
• Spoon one-quarter of the filling onto one half of each dough round, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Lightly brush the edges of the dough with some of the beaten egg; fold the dough over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheet.
• Brush the calzones with the remaining beaten egg and cut 2 slits in the top of each to let steam escape. Sprinkle the calzones with the remaining 2 teaspoons parmesan, then bake until golden brown and cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve with marinara sauce, the salami and giardiniera.

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:

• Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange salami and pepperoni on microwave-safe plate lined with paper towels. Cover with 2 more paper towels and microwave on high until fat begins to render, 1 minute. Combine ricotta, Parmesan, and basil in bowl.
• Brush 1 tablespoon oil over rimmed baking sheet. On lightly floured work surface, roll dough into 14-inch round about ¼ inch thick. Layer half of salami, pepperoni, capicola, and mozzarella on one half of dough round, leaving 1-inch border around edges. Spoon ricotta mixture over mozzarella and layer with remaining salami, pepperoni, capicola, and mozzarella. Brush edges of dough with water, fold over filling, and crimp edges to seal.
• Transfer to oiled baking sheet and cut four 1-inch slits on top of calzone. Brush with remaining oil and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 4 wedges. Serve.