Thread: Bill's Calzones

Enjoy!


1 gallon tomato sauce
4 large onions, chopped fine
30 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb mushroom, sliced
2 (4 ounce) cans sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 lbs roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups pickled artichoke hearts, drained
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 teaspoons red peppers
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon cilantro
1/2 teaspoon savory
1 lb hot Italian sausage, skins removed

For Dough

1 cup warm water
1 dash salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar (to soften and activate yeast)
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
20 fennel seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed mint
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon oregano
For Filling
2 lbs hot Italian sausage (skinned)
2 lbs mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
romano cheese
1 pepperoni, stick
1/2 lb ham, diced

Directions

For Sauce:

Brown 1/2 lb of the sausage in sauce pan.

Mix tomato sauce, onions, minced garlic cloves, mushrooms, olives, cooking sherry, celery salt, brown sugar, honey, tomatoes, olive oil, artichoke hearts, oregano, basil, sage, red peppers, black pepper, thyme, cilantro, savory and half lb of sausage into large pot.

Let sauce come to a simmer.

Cover, and simmer for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

After sauce has simmered, refrigerate overnight.

Brown two lbs hot Italian sausage.

Set aside.

Mix dough ingredients and knead for several minutes.

Note: The ingredients listed are for one batch of dough. You will need to repeat the dough recipe five times in order to make 40 calzones.

Cover dough.


Punch down after it has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

After dough has doubled in bulk again, take a batch of dough and cut into four, six or eight equal pieces, based on how big you want your calzones.

On a floured counter, press and roll dough into a round about 12" in diameter.

Put a couple of scoops of sauce into the center.

Sprinkle some sausage over the sauce.

Add some slices of whatever other meat (if any) that you wish to add.

Sprinkle a dash of romano and parmesan cheese.

Don't go overboard with these two cheeses, or else it will make the calzone taste too sour.

Liberally apply mozzarella.

Fold dough over the mass in the middle, leaving about a half of an inch to go.

Dab the lip of the dough that you just folded over with olive oil. You finger will do fine, no need to brush.

Fold the bottom dough over the lip, and press into place with the tines of a fork.

Place on a floured pizza stone or floured cookie sheet, if that's what you've got. Use flour, not non-stick spray.

Fill up the stone with the calzones.

In a small bowl, separate two eggs, and save the yolks. Give the whites to your cat, if you have one.

Add two or three tablespoons of water.

Mix well.

Brush this yolk mixture over the calzones. This will give them a golden brown look.

Lightly sprinkle the calzones with mozzarella cheese. I mean, really lightly. It's really just for looks.

When the oven is good and pre-heated, bake them for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Note: You will find yourself unable to stop eating, and could suffer spontaneous combustion. Be wary!

The calzones freeze well, and are ready to eat again after 20 minutes or so in a oven or toaster oven. Do not reheat in the microwave, because they'll be soggy.

Thanks! I'll have to try them sometime

I will be trying this! But I wish it was winter and not feeling like summer already! Praise God for AC...

I am already drooling... I'm having a bunch of people over for dinner next week...maybe this would be a good recipe for that. Thanks!

I LOVE calzones, but I gotta say that after looking at that recipe, reading Aquinas seems a breeze.

Originally Posted by Marrow Man

I LOVE calzones, but I gotta say that after looking at that recipe, reading Aquinas seems a breeze.

I know!

I try to be a cook at times, and the recipe looks wonderful, but 1 gallon of tomato sauce and 30 garlic cloves? Is it possible to use a clean 50 gal garbage can to make this? I don't think ALL of my pots and pans would fit this!!

Originally Posted by EricP

I try to be a cook at times, and the recipe looks wonderful, but 1 gallon of tomato sauce and 30 garlic cloves? Is it possible to use a clean 50 gal garbage can to make this? I don't think ALL of my pots and pans would fit this!!

Heh. I have a five gallon pot that I use for saucing at this level. Likewise, I use turkey roasting pans when I make lasagna.

Theognome

Theognome...can these be mailed? I'd like to place an order!

Originally Posted by he beholds

Theognome...can these be mailed? I'd like to place an order!

Um... I suppose they could be mailed. But they taste even better when consumed in fellowship with lively theological discussions.

Theognome

Bill, the recipe looks good. But, you might want to make one little tweak. You really should use 19 fennel seeds. Fennel seeds should always be used in odd numbers. It has to do the with releasing the molecular bond in the heating process. If there is an even number of seeds the molecules will always be able to find a matching bond and full flavour enhancement will not take place. 21 would be overpowering.

Originally Posted by LawrenceU

Bill, the recipe looks good. But, you might want to make one little tweak. You really should use 19 fennel seeds. Fennel seeds should always be used in odd numbers. It has to do the with releasing the molecular bond in the heating process. If there is an even number of seeds the molecules will always be able to find a matching bond and full flavour enhancement will not take place. 21 would be overpowering.

I actually tried 19 seeds once, but the problem is that although I agree that the molecular bonding is best effective in odd numbers, they would begin the fusion process with the cheeses (particularly the Provalone) and cause little alien dudes to break out from the calzone and run across the table. By using 20 seeds, this effect is neutralized.

Theognome

Hmm. . . I wondered if it might have related to that. I know how serious that can be. One additive that can cure that and release the full fennel potential is . . . . Tabasco! Yes, that nectar of the heavens. Recent studies have shown that all aliens, and I do mean all, cannot tolerate it.

If you look to the heavens you can see the evidence. Recent studies have discovered that nebulae are indeed gas clouds. Until just a few months ago how they were formed was mere theory. No longer. Now we know.

There was an alien crawfish boil a few thousand years ago. Good old Budreaux from the star cluster near Andromeda boiled up a bunch of bugs. He had a big bottle of Tabasco on the plywood table and a bunch of his buddies from all over the universe used it on their corn and potatoes. The resulting gastric calamity has left evidence all over the place. Discomfort, distended abdomens, then POOF! no more aliens, but lots of glowing nebulae.

Come to think of it. We have enough nebulae.

Originally Posted by LawrenceU

Hmm. . . I wondered if it might have related to that. I know how serious that can be. One additive that can cure that and release the full fennel potential is . . . . Tabasco! Yes, that nectar of the heavens. Recent studies have shown that all aliens, and I do mean all, cannot tolerate it.

If you look to the heavens you can see the evidence. Recent studies have discovered that nebulae are indeed gas clouds. Until just a few months ago how they were formed was mere theory. No longer. Now we know.

There was an alien crawfish boil a few thousand years ago. Good old Budreaux from the star cluster near Andromeda boiled up a bunch of bugs. He had a big bottle of Tabasco on the plywood table and a bunch of his buddies from all over the universe used it on their corn and potatoes. The resulting gastric calamity has left evidence all over the place. Discomfort, distended abdomens, then POOF! no more aliens, but lots of glowing nebulae.

Come to think of it. We have enough nebulae.

I find your whole post quite nebulous.

But let us not forget the affect that Tapatio sauce has had on the equation. Like Juan Valdez, Tapatio has formed a vision of wide-hatted Hispanic gastronomical glee where before had been only a bleak landscape of tasteless trifle. Yes, the corn, potatoes, burritos, eggs and even steaks of the universe were tainted with this Mexican ambrosia. The alien menace was defeated in no small part due to this addition to the battlefront.

Theognome

Wow, that looks very good! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

sounds good