Calzones

I haven't made Calzones for a long time.  Last time I made them I vaguely remember the kids not really liking them and  saying something along the lines of "this is yucky", probably before actually trying it.  You know how it is introducing new foods no matter how similar they are to favorites like pizza. I don't recall how long ago it was that I made them last but long enough that none of the kids remembered me making them before.

This time, however, everyone loved them and sang praises to me.  I don't know what I did different or maybe this time everyone was hungry enough to actually try them before stating their opinions.    I have fond memories of calzones.  Who doesn't?  I remember learning to make them in college using frozen bread dough.  I remember my favorite place to eat them, the mom and pop Italian restaurant 1 block north of where I used to work. In High School, my friends and I used to always get them at the Mall.  I remember my brother, not too long home from Sicily, deep frying them for dinner.  Maybe they are called something different when you deep fry them but they are basically the same.    So I was delighted that my kids finally liked them.

This time I used a Wolfgang puck Pizza dough recipe and filled them simply with Sausage, Ricotta cheese and Mozzarella cheese.  I then had a red sauce and pesto for dipping or putting on top.  You can put the sauce inside but I think this was one of the reasons the kids didn't like it before. That may be more like Stromboli. Other ingredients you can use to stuff the Calzone might be Spinach, Pepperoni, Parmesan, Pesto, other vegetables or cheeses etc.  Lots of choice. This time I also made them smaller so they could be picked up and dipped.  I think everyone liked them that way better. We enjoyed them so much, I forgot to take a picture till they were almost gone. 

Roll out rounds of pizza dough to the size you would like. 
Put ricotta cheese, mozzarella and other ingredients of your choice in the middle.
Fold over and pinch edges together. 
Bake until golden brown. 
Top or dip in marinara or pesto or sauce of your choice. 

Whatever you choose to use for dough and ingredients, Enjoy!