Excuse

It’s so cold outside that I’m looking for any excuse to crank up the oven. No matter what the weather, the kitchen should always feel warm and cozy. Here's my latest excuse.


Vegetable Calzones
Printable Recipe

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch dried oregano
Pinch dried basil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¾ pound broccoli florets, blanched
4 ounces marinated artichokes hearts, quartered
10 ounces crumbled feta
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, quartered
1 recipe Simple Pizza Dough

Combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and basil in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 500˚F with a baking stone on the center rack.

Gently deflate the dough, cut it into quarters, and form each quarter into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for about 15 minutes. Toss together the broccoli, artichoke hearts, feta, and olives in a large bowl.

Gently stretch each portion of dough into an 8-inch circle. Place the crusts onto a sheet of parchment paper on a baker’s peel. Arrange a quarter of the broccoli mixture over half of each crust, leaving a 1-inch border at the edge. Top each mound of filling with ¼ cup of the tomato sauce. Fold the other half of each crust over the filling, forming a half circle, and firmly pinch the edges together to seal. Cut 3 1-inch slashes in the top of each calzone with a paring knife. Carefully slide the calzones with the parchment onto the baking stone in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Meanwhile, reheat the remaining tomato sauce over medium-low heat. Divide the sauce among 4 ramekins and serve the calzones immediately with the sauce.

Makes 4 large calzones. The oven needs to be good and hot for calzones, so preheat it for at least an hour while the dough rises. Be sure to drain all of the filling ingredients well so that the calzones have crisp, not soggy, crusts. I like to use parchment paper rather than semolina for sliding the calzones off the peel into the oven. It’s less messy and absolutely foolproof, eliminating any chance that the calzones will stick to the peel. And if you don’t have a peel that’s large enough to hold 4 calzones, use a baking tray that’s turned upside down.