i've really gotten on a calzone kick lately. they are easy to make in advance and are great to pack for lunch. sadly, dairy still seems to be a problem for me, so i've had to rethink my typical filling ideas.
a friend suggested using caramelized onions instead of cheese and while nothing will ever replace cheese (glorious cheese), these are so tasty that i don't miss it.
sausage and onion calzones
makes 4
1 ball spelt right pizza dough, thawed
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 link hot italian sausage, removed from casing and chopped
1 link sweet italian sausage, removed from casing and chopped
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
olive oil
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
spelt flour for dusting
allow pizza dough to rise at room temperature until roughly doubled in size
heat some olive oil in a large skillet
add sliced onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they have caramelized to a medium brown color. this usually takes around 30-45 minutes.
once onions are caramelized, transfer them to a medium bowl.
in the same skillet, brown the sausage, breaking it up into small chunks as it cooks
after sausage cooks, drain excess fat and add sausage to onions
add lemon zest and chopped thyme and mix well
preheat oven to 450
line an inverted sheet pan with parchment
divide dough in to four equal sections
stretch and flatten each section into a flat disc
place 1/4 of the onion/sausage mixture onto one side of each flattened round of dough
fold the other side over the mixture and crimp shut
transfer each calzone to the baking sheet
top with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
using a sharp knife or scissors, cut slits in the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape
bake for roughly 15 minutes or until golden brown
serve with tomato sauce
yum!
the thing about radically changing your diet and method of cooking is that the failure rate goes up exponentially. it is totally disheartening to spend hours preparing a dish or a meal that is gross or just plain inedible (i'm talking to you- mushy spelt noodles!!).
tonight, however, was a complete success!
spelt calzones
makes 2 enormous calzones
1 ball spelt right frozen pizza dough, thawed and risen for around 2 hours
(make sure not to let the dough rise too quickly. with wheat flour i would usually proof dough in the oven with the oven light on- this does not work for spelt. i don't know why, my guess is that it has something to do with shorter gluten strands....?)
filling:
1 med zucchini, large dice
6 oz fresh spinach (1 bag)
4 scallions, small dice
4 oz feta, crumbled
olive oil
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
preheat oven to 450
cover an inverted baking sheet with parchment paper
for the filling:
brown zucchini in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
remove from pan.
using the same pan, quickly saute the spinach until fully cooked.
once it is cool enough to handle, squeeze as much moisture from the spinach as you can.
chop.
mix zucchini, spinach, scallions and feta in a bowl.
for the crust:
after the dough has risen, dust the counter or a board with spelt flour and divide the dough ball into 2 equal pieces. working one at a time, flatten each dough ball to roughly 10" diameter.
scoop 1/2 of the filling onto one side of each flattened disc, then fold the remaining dough over the filling. crimp the edges.
transfer your calzones to the inverted baking sheet.
using a sharp knife or scissors, snip 3 holes into the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.
brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
bake for approx. 15 minutes until golden brown.
devour.
