Dorm Room Dinner: Meaty Calzones

Of course once we got started, John had a hard time stopping!  Then the calzones got pepperoni, two types of cheeses, etc. etc.  But, you could make them as simplistic or interesting as you wanted!  I threw a handful of mushroom slices in mine that was delicious.

Mine was so delicious I ate the whole thing!  Probably not the best tactic if we’re trying to be healthy!  But, once in a while a treat never hurt anyone.  I used a homemade dough, but to make these perfect for a dorm room, you can use a premade pizza dough, like K did.  The homemade dough was delicious (of course, it was from Emeril!), although took about an hour to let it rise, etc.  Being impatient like I am, I didn’t let the balls of dough sit likeEmeril suggests.  Instead, I just rolled them out.  It worked just fine.

Meaty Calzones

Serves: 2 calzones (2 people)

Dough:

1 1/8 teaspoons yeast (1/2 package)

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups flour

Toppings:

1 cup pizza sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzerella cheese

1 pre-cooked hot italian sausage, sliced

1/2 cup pepperoni slices

Make the dough:  Combine yeast, salt, olive oil, and warm water in a large bowl.  Set aside for 10 minutes.  Then, add 1/2 cup of flour.  Using a wooden spoon, stir until flour is incorporated.  Then add an additional 1 cup of flour.  Use your hands to combine until a rough dough forms.  Knead the dough for 7-10 minutes on a floured work surface.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour a little at a time until the dough is smooth and elastic (it took all 2 cups for our calzones).  Transfer dough to a large bowl that has been lightly coated in olive oil.  Turn the dough once so olive oil is on both sides.  Then, cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm area for 1 hour, until the dough doubles.

Make the Calzones:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Then, split into two even pieces and roll out into circles.  Add pizza sauce to the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch on all sides.  Cover the sauce with cheese, sausage, pepperoni, and other toppings, if desired.  Then, fold the dough over itself to make a semi-circle.  Using a fork, crimp the edges, and poke a few holes in the top to let steam escape.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until calzone is golden-brown.  Serve warm with additional pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

Obviously, you can skip the “dough” portion and just start at “preheat the oven to 400 degrees F” and use refrigerated pizza dough.  I’m sure it works just as well, but I was too lazy to walk to the store to buy it and we had everything for the pizza dough from scratch in the house!

Until the next time my oven is on…