We make pizza quite often and we don't get tired out it. There's always new ingredients and new combinations to try. And it's easy since I've got my easy pizza dough recipe in my back pocket.But a few weeks ago, I decided to try something different. I have super fond childhood memories of my dad bringing home panzarotti from the neighbourhood Italian take-out place. What's panzarotti, you ask? Well, it's the stuff dreams are made of. Deep fried pizza, basically. It's like a calzone – an inside out pizza or pizza turnover – but totally evil and super delicious. Very popular in the city I grew up in but not popular at all here in Vancouver. A crying shame, really.
While I liked the idea of a panzarotti, I'm not going to do any deep frying in my house, so making a calzone was the next best option. And it was relatively simple to do. You can use store bought pizza dough for this or you can fill your calzone with whatever toppings you desire. I'm still in a bit of a zucchini glut, so I used sauteed zucchini and onion, but I'm sure mushrooms, olives, ham, pineapple or peppers would be fantastic.
Onion & Zucchini Calzonespizza dough, risen (store-bought or homemade)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon hot chili flakes
salt & pepper
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup marinara sauce
Preheat oven to 425F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add in garlic and onion. Stir about until wilted and slightly caramelized. Add in zucchini, oregano, chili and a sprinkle of salt and a good grind of pepper. Saute until the zucchini wilts slightly. Set aside.
Tear pizza dough into 4 equal lumps. Use a rolling pin to roll one ball into a circle. Use a spoon to add in a quarter of the tomato sauce, top with a quarter of the vegetable filling and then top with a quarter of the cheese. Leave about a 1 inch or more border around the edge.
Fold dough in half to form a semi circle and pinch and roll the edges so that the edges, forming a "rope" until the edges are sealed. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat with the remain 3 calzones.
Bake until calzones get golden brown and puffy, about 15 minutes. Serve with extra warmed up marinara sauce.
salt & pepper
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup marinara sauce
Preheat oven to 425F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add in garlic and onion. Stir about until wilted and slightly caramelized. Add in zucchini, oregano, chili and a sprinkle of salt and a good grind of pepper. Saute until the zucchini wilts slightly. Set aside.
Tear pizza dough into 4 equal lumps. Use a rolling pin to roll one ball into a circle. Use a spoon to add in a quarter of the tomato sauce, top with a quarter of the vegetable filling and then top with a quarter of the cheese. Leave about a 1 inch or more border around the edge.
Fold dough in half to form a semi circle and pinch and roll the edges so that the edges, forming a "rope" until the edges are sealed. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat with the remain 3 calzones.
Bake until calzones get golden brown and puffy, about 15 minutes. Serve with extra warmed up marinara sauce.
