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calzone meatless

Meatless Calzone from Southern Italy

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Raising time 2 hours
Servings: 8 calzone
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Pizza dough
  • 1 package active dry yeast (7 grams or 2 rounded teaspoons)
  • ¾ cup lukewarm water ~ 80° F
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 3 cups bread flour (or all-purpose)
Filling
  • 2 cups escarole and radicchio - (1 cup each) can use spinach or any combination
  • ½ cup black olives - pitted and sliced Gaeta are best
  • 2 cloves garlic - peeled and smashed
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • ½ cups raisins
  • ⅓ cup olive oil for frying, + 1 Tbsp. for sauteing

Method
 

Making the dough
  1. In a medium bowl, add yeast and pour in 3/4 cup lukewarm water. Add the olive oil and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes until slightly foamy.
  2. Add the flour and salt and mix well (by hand or with a dough hook). Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for 5 minutes until you have a soft and smooth dough. If the dough gets sticky while kneading, add just a bit of flour at a time.
  3. Place in a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for about 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Filling
  1. Escarole and radicchio are bitter greens, which is a huge health benefit, but we want to tone down the bitter flavor for this calzone. First, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, add 2 tsp. salt and add the whole escarole and radicchio leaves. Blanch for 1 minute and remove. Cool and finely chop.
  2. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and add the garlic cloves. Heat slowly for 2 minutes to infuse the flavor into the oil. Next, add the pine nuts and, again, slowly heat to toast for a minute or two (careful not to burn the nuts). Lastly, add chopped escarole/radicchio blend, raisins, olives, and a pinch of salt. Continue heating and stirring for 3 minutes to heat through and marry all the flavors. Take out the whole garlic cloves and either discard or use in a salad or soup. Remove filling from heat and let cool while rolling out the dough.
Assembling the Calzone
  1. When the dough has risen, turn out onto a floured board.
    To make 8 individual calzones, divide the dough into eight equal balls. With a rolling pin, roll into 4-inch circles. Add a spoonful of filling into the center of each calzone.
    calzone raw
  2. Fold over to form a half-moon and pinch the edges to seal. Using the end of a fork, press around the edge to make sure the seal is tight.
    calzone meatless
  3. In a large skillet, heat ⅓ cup olive oil. Frying four at a time, fry each calzone for 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Stack a few paper towels on a plate and place the cooked calzone on top to absorb some of the olive oil.
  4. Serve hot with a sprig of fresh parsley. These calzones may be served for supper or as an appetizer.
    Buon appetito!