Prosciutto calzones

I was in the mood for pizza the other night and I don’t know what possessed me, but at the last minute, I decided to make calzones instead. I’ve never made them before, but what the heck, it is just a pizza folded in half, right?

2-1/2 cups flour 

2 tbs. instant yeast 

1 tsp. sugar 

1 tsp. salt 

3 tbs. olive oil 

Water

Sliced Prosciutto

1 15 oz. can of Italian tomatoes

Sliced mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. Basil

White Pepper

Tabasco

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Grated asiago cheese

Corn meal

Preparation

For the dough, add the flour, sugar, olive oil, yeast and salt to your mixer bowl. Add enough water - a little at a time - to form the dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes and let it rise for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle some flour on to a very clean counter. Place the dough on the counter and divide it in half. Use your fingers and shape each half of the dough. Be patient. Keep poking and sprinkle it with a little flour as you turn it over. You want two circles about 12” each.

Pour the canned tomatoes into a bowl and use a knife to coarsely chop them. Stir in the basil, olive oil and minced garlic. Sprinkle in a little white pepper and Tabasco.

Now, you’re going to fold over half the dough to make the calzone, so when you add the filling, only cover half the dough and leave the outside inch uncovered. Spoon on the tomato mixture first. Now start adding sliced mushrooms and then the sliced prosciutto to cover the tomatoes. Finally cover the filling with a generous mound of both cheeses.

Fold the uncovered half of the dough over the filled half. Crimp the edges of the dough together tightly. Poke a couple of slits into the top of the calzone and brush it with olive oil. Slide the calzone on to a baking sheet which has been sprinkled with corn meal. Repeat to make the other calzone.

Bake the calzones at 425º about twenty minutes, or until they are golden brown. Let them sit for five minutes before serving.

Serving

To serve these, simply place a calzone on a plate. Add a bowl of assorted olives to the table. You want to start the meal with a large Greek salad. Pick out your favorite Italian red wine. Don’t tell anyone, but I ate both calzones myself. Waste not want not.