Calzones are an Italian food of origin and are traditionally made for the Easter holiday - although they are great anytime! They originated in Naples, Italy as an easy, standing-in-the-street way of eating pizza. Different regions of Italy now have different ingredients and techniques to make Calzone but here is my mother's version given to me many years ago.
Ingredients:
5 pounds of Flour
3 packages of Yeast
6 cups of Warm water
1 cup of good Olive oil warmed slightly on stovetop - (we have some fabulous ones to choose from)
Handful of black pepper
4 pounds of Ricotta cheese - if it is really wet drain well
5 pounds of Italian sausage - you can mix hot and mild or if you only have mild you can add a handful of hot pepper flakes.
1 stick of Pepperoni - chopped in small pieces
Eggs - as many as it takes - up to 11 eggs. I used 10 eggs for this recipe as they were large.
2 large handfuls of grated cheese - Pecorino Romano is good to use.
1/4 pound of regular Prosciutto
Block of Asiago cheese - chopped into small pieces
Block of sharp Provolone cheese - chopped into small pieces
Large handful of Italian Parsley - chopped fine
Instructions:
Start by mixing your Flour, water and yeast, warmed olive oil and pepper in a large pot or bowl and knead like you are making bread. Let rise.
Take your sausage out of the casing and break it up in a large frying pan and brown on stove top. When slightly cooled put in a large mixing bowl and add in the Ricotta cheese, pepperoni, grated cheese, prosciutto and the asiago and provolone along with the chopped parsley.
Then add in the eggs one at a time and mix well until you have a consistency that holds together.
When dough is ready take a piece (I got 10 calzones out of this recipe) and roll it out on a floured board to make a large round circle. Fill the bottom half with filling and then fold the top half over and seal it with a little cold water and use a fork to press against edges. Place on baking sheets.
Brush the top with a beaten egg and place in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes rotating so as not to burn the tops. If you have a really hot oven I would lower the temperature to 375 degrees.
When they are done let cool completely - then you can wrap in foil and freeze or place in refrigerator until you are ready to rewarm and eat. I like to rewarm them and get them hot for like 30 minutes at 350 - then I always let them rest for ten minutes or so before cutting so they do not fall apart when you cut the slices.
Enjoy and Happy Easter - or Buona Pasqua!