When I was researching the route for my culinary coverage of the Giro d’Italia last month, I was a little bummed to see that they weren’t going to be anywhere near where my ancestors originated: Sarno, Italy; about 30 miles east of Naples. But, I did get to learn about Eastern and Northern Italian cooking and am very grateful to have that knowledge in my apron. However, just a couple weeks post-Giro and I’m back in Italy AND in Campagnia, nonetheless!
Calzones were first created in Naples, and also, near-simultaneously, in the neighboring region of Basilicata, in the 18th century. So, right around the time of the Civil War in the U.S., these delicious crescents were probably being perfected back in Italy. Luckily for you, I’ve done a little research and can get you caught up to speed pretty quickly.
A traditional calzone is made of a simple yeasted bread crust - a pizza dough crust - and has very few ingredients. Today, you can get them in a myriad of ways: with meatballs and cheese, spinach and sausage with cheese, and even like a complete pizza roll-up, which is essentially a mini-stromboli. My local pizzeria serves them up, in the most frequent way I find them, with cooked ham, mozzarella and ricotta cheese with sauce on the side. Since I’m trying to stay true to the local cuisine, I’m going to make mine with ricotta, mozzarella, salami di Napoli and some basil.
Now, the sauce...do I ladle it on the top prior to cooking, to stay truly authentic; serve it in a cup for dipping; or put some inside? I was worried it would be messy the traditional way, so, I tried all three variations to see which is best and I found that, to no surprise whatsoever, stay traditional! But, I don’t have a traditional wood-fired brick oven. What I learned from watching some videos online is that the cooks usually keep the calzone toward the front of the oven, unlike a pizza which would be baked closer to the fire. This means I don’t have to worry about achieving a super-hot oven (750 degrees, ideal for cooking pizza) and can go with a temp that my oven will actually reach: 550 fahrenheit. I did use a pizza stone, however, to mimic the stone surface and preheated the stone in the oven for 30 minutes.
You want to cook these longer than you think to achieve that burned edge which makes you feel like you’re eating the real thing! Oh and the extra sauce? Keep it around to dip those lovely crusts in at the end.
Calzone
Dough
22 oz bread flour (approx 4 cups)
1.5 tsp table salt
1 packet rapid-rise yeast
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 cups of water (~110 degrees)
Quick red sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
Crushed red pepper
Filling
16 oz. ricotta con latte
Whole milk mozzarella, shredded
Salami, sopressata style, julienned in ½ inch strips
Basil
Extra-virgin olive oil
Combine the flour, salt and yeast in the large bowl of a stand mixer and whisk briefly to incorporate. Then using the dough hook attachment, start the mixer on Speed 2. Add the evoo and slowly pour in the warm water. Once the water is poured in, increase to Speed 4 and let it knead, for about 10 minutes, until the dough comes together on the hook and appears smooth. Meanwhile prepare a large bowl by lightly spraying with cooking spray as well as the top (or cling wrap). When the dough is ready, form into a ball and place in the bowl, cover, and set aside in a warm place for 2 hours to rise. With about 45 minutes left for the dough to rise, place a pizza stone on a rack on the bottom level in your stove and preheat to 550. While the dough rises, prepare the sauce.
Preheat the oil and a heavy pinch of red pepper flakes in a heavy pot over medium heat. Peel and smash the garlic and throw in the pot. Pour the tomatoes and their sauce into a bowl and crush the tomatoes by hand and add it all to the pot along with 2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Using a hand blender, purée the contents (or process in a blender) and simmer for about 30 mins. Taste and add a pinch of sugar, salt or black pepper to taste.
When the dough has rested and risen, lightly dust a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the workspace and cut in half and each half into thirds and make 6 small dough balls and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment and cover with a kitchen towel for 15 mins to rest. Meanwhile, prepare your filling ingredients in prep bowls and, for the ricotta, stir in about 2 tbsp of minced fresh basil.
Preparing one at-a-time, dip both sides into some flour and turn and press out the dough ball into a thin disk and then roll out to a rough 8-10 inch round, as thin as possible. Then, spoon on some herbed-ricotta on the top half of the circle, leaving a 1-inch border, top with a basil leaf, salami and shredded mozzarella. Pull the dry bottom half of the dough over the ingredients and press to seal the dough, cutting away any gross excess, if any. Crimp and twist the dough to ensure the ingredients are sealed within. Tear a hole on the top of the calzone and cover with a ladle-full of sauce, spreading over the entire top of the dough. Top with a basil leaf, with more salami and cheese. Set aside. When you have 2 or 3 completed, drizzle them with olive oil and carefully transfer them to the preheated oven and onto the pizza stone as you can bake 2-3 of these at a time on a large pizza stone. Bake for roughly 12-15 minutes, depending on your desired level of doneness. Prepare the remaining calzone while the first batch cooks. Drizzle with some extra evoo before serving and serve with remaining sauce.
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Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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