So we went to see a movie yesterday - as is our custom - and today, out of the blue, the mister said to me, "Those two people had a good thing going and then they went and blew it - probably walked away from about $300,000 a year." Do you have any idea what he was talking about? Neither did I. So, in my very sweetest voice I said, "What are you talking about...dear pumpkin?" And he said, "The movie...I'll bet they're kicking themselves for walking away from those jobs!" THE MOVIE?!?! HELLO?!?!! IT WAS A MOVIE!!! IT'S NOT REAL!!! Just another example of what I have to deal with...obviously he has Mad Cow...and knowing that, I decided to feed him something with beef in it for dinner - just trying to speed things along...
This is a simple recipe but if you want to make it even easier you can purchase pizza dough from your favorite pizza parlor instead of making it. I used my favorite pizza dough recipe because really, it's pretty darn easy to make pizza dough. You can also change the ingredients for this calzone by adding what you like - pepperoni, mozzarella, cooked sausage, mushrooms, etc. The mister and the boy like hamburger and cheese - but to make it flavorful enough for me to eat I add some shallot and I also use bottled roasted red peppers. (Shallots are milder than onions and the bottled roasted red peppers don't have the 'bite' that fresh red peppers have so the mister doesn't even notice!)
The pizza dough recipe I have (click on the highlight above) makes enough for two HUGE calzones - each one will feed 4 people a generous slice. They bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. If you like the dough to be a little crispier, brush them with a bit of olive oil and bake for a little longer. The mister and the boy like their calzones to be chewy - so I only spray the cookie sheet with baking spray and I only bake the calzone for 15 minutes.
Simple Calzones - ME
Enough pizza dough for two 15-inch rounds, store bought or home-made (see recipe above)
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers, in oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Rustic Italian Seasonings (I especially like the Kirkland brand Costco sells)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded Romano cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, combine ground beef, shallot, red peppers, salt, pepper, worcestershire cause and Italian seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and shallots are soft. Stir in minced garlic and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out the pizza dough into two 15-inch rounds. Place each round onto a cookie sheet, with half of each round hanging off to the side. When meat mixture has simmered for 10 minutes, spoon half of the mixture onto each half of the dough. Sprinkle each calzone with 1/2 cup of Parmesan and 1/2 cup of Romano cheese. Fold edges over and pinch to seal.
Place cookie sheet in the middle of the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how crisp and dark you want your crust to be - the longer you leave it in the oven the darker and crispier it will get. Slice each calzone into 4 wedges. Serves 6 to 8.
"You can't get spoiled if you do your own ironing." ~ Meryl Streep
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One year ago today: We Won! We Won!
