These thin calzones are filled with herbs, groud beef, lots of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese for an Italian comfort food extravaganza.
Directions for: New York Mama Calzone
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce1 (796 mL) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp crushed red chilies
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil
Meatloaf1 Tbsp olive oil
cup yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 green onions, finely chopped (white and light green parts only)
1 tsp salt
tsp pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
cup panko breadcrumbs
cup homemade or store-bought tomato sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
cup sour cream
500 g (1.1 lbs) lean ground beef
Calzone Dough1 tsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
Assembly2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Dried parsley flakes
Garlic powder
Directions
Marinara Sauce1. in a large pot over medium low heat, stir together crushed tomatoes, sea salt, black pepper, paprika, basil, oregano, fennel seeds, and crushed red chilies and cup of water.
2. while the marinara heats up, heat garlic and olive oil in a small pan over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until garlic starts to brown.
3. Pour garlic oil through a fine sieve into the marinara sauce and stir well.
4. Cook sauce over medium low heat, stirring every 15 minutes, for two hours, or until sauce is thick enough to hold up a spoon.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
Meatloaf1. in a medium pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add onions and garlic to the pan; stir and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. in a medium bowl, stir together green onions, salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, rosemary, and sundried tomatoes. Mix well.
5. Stir in breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, egg, sour cream, and reserved sauted onion and garlic mixture.
6. Crumble beef into the mixture and stir well until fully incorporated.
7. on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, form two equal loaves about 3 inches thick.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until meat reads 160F on a meat thermometer.
9. while meatloaf cooks, make calzone dough.
Calzone Dough1. in a medium bowl, stir together sugar, yeast, and 1 cup of warm water (85F); set mixture aside to bloom for 5 minutes.
2. once yeast has activated, stir in canola oil, salt, and flour; mix well until dough is craggy.
3. Pour dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until elastic and no longer sticky; sprinkle with extra flour as needed.
4. Place dough into a large bowl and cover with a tea towel; set dough aside to rest in a warm place for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Assembly1. when meatloaf is done cooking, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
2. Raise oven temperature to 475F to cook the calzones.
3. once dough has risen, sauce has finished cooking, and meatloaf has cooled, divide calzone dough out into four equal portions.
4. on a floured surface, roll dough to paper thinness, forming 8-10 inch circles.
5. Spread cup of marinara sauce over each circle, leaving at least 1 inch around the edges.
6. Sprinkle calzone with cup of shredded mozzarella.
7. Slice meatloaf and add two slices of meatloaf to each calzone; sprinkle with an additional cup of mozzarella.
8. to close the calzone, brush the edges of half of the calzone with water; fold dough over and pinch edges together to seal.
9. Transfer calzones to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between each calzone.
10. Using a fork, create holes in the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.
11. Brush calzones lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and dried parsley.
12. Bake calzones for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.
13. if calzones dont look done after 15 minutes, cut calzones in half and continue baking for 2 minutes to ensure cheese is fully melted.
14. Serve with warm marinara sauce, for dipping.
Tips and Substitutions
Special Equipment: Large pot, fine mesh sieve, basting brush, meat thermometer, parchment paper, rolling pin
Marinara sauce takes 2 hours to cook.
If covered and refrigerated, leftover marinara sauce can be kept in the fridge for about a week. Sauce can also be frozen. Meatloaf will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Source and Credits
Courtesy of Battista Vecchio of Battista's Calzone Co.
See more: Bake, Beef, Cheese, Comfort Food, Eggs/Dairy, Herbs, Italian, Main, Tomatoes