Maria Nasir“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens”. – Robert Browning
Calzones are made from pizza dough, but they are folded in half circular shape with the filling sealed inside. This kind of handy sandwich exists in almost all cultures with different names and slight variation in ingredients; call them calzones, empanadas, turnovers, gujia or ghughra, make them sweet or savoury, these breads are truly versatile. I’ve tried to make here a healthier version with whole wheat flour and spinach filling. You can replace whole wheat with all-purpose flour and the options for filling can be infinite. My secret ingredient to a successful pizza dough , every time, is plain yogurt as it makes the dough softer.
I started making pizza dough with this recipe as a teenager and my father loved it. When I was about to get married, he repeatedly said, ” who would make this pizza for me when you are gone”. Today when I was making the same pizza dough to experiment with calzone making, all the time I thought of the summer evenings spent with my father, munching homemade pizzas and watching movies…one hobby we shared. Enjoy and hope you make your own happy memories with it 🙂
For Calzone Dough :
2+3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup warm water
1 packet dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
This Is What You Do :
Mix water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and oil. Add 1 cup flour and yogurt. Mix till everything is well-combined. Add the remaining flour and knead for 5 minutes or till the dough forms a smooth ball. Coat the surface if the dough ball with a little oil, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
Push the dough back into shape, divide into 6 equal portions. Dust a clean work top with flour and roll out these portions into 7 inch rounds with a rolling pin. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
For Spinach and Sausage Filling :
A bunch spinach, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 chicken or beef sausages
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
1 cup feta or any cheese of your choice
1 tablespoon oil
This Is What You Do :
Heat oil in a large frying pan, add onions and sauté till opaque. Add garlic and sausages, fry for 2-3 minutes or till the sausages are caramelised. Add spinach, 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup, black pepper n salt. Cover the pan for 5 minutes or till the spinach wilts. Uncover and let all the liquids evaporate.
Let the spinach mix cool down.
Spoon half tablespoon tomato ketchup over half part of a 7 inch round. Take 2 tablespoons of spinach mix and spread over ketchup. Crumble 1 table spoon of feta or any cheese of your choice over it. Fold the other half of round over the filling. Pinch the edges with a fork to seal. Brush with beaten egg and place in a baking tray. Repeat with all the rounds.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or till the calzones are golden brown.
Enjoy with Home-made Chilli Garlic Sauce ! Recipe for chilli garlic sauce at http://www.foodaholic.biz/homemade-chilli-garlic-sauce/