Generally I feel pretty confident working with yeasted doughs, pizza however escapes my comfort boundaries. Not because I don’t feel happy making the dough but because of the cooking. Just how am I supposed to recreate those almost smoky flavoured crisp bases I experienced in beautiful Roma, in my domestic oven, with or without the somewhat luxury of a pizza stone?
My answer – don’t do it, go out or get a take out from a decent pizzeria. In my case this is The Bridge Inn, a lovely pub run by an Italian and his wife; fabulous food and a fabulous atmosphere, perfect for a relaxing meal out.
Calzone on the other hand are an all together different beast. They run off the same basic dough recipe as other pizzas but are softer and more doughy than their flat counterparts.
I like to make large calzones for dinner, one per person but in Italy they are common in a smaller form too – perfect for a quick lunch time or late evening snack on the go.
Fillings are completely up to you. This time I used fresh mozzarella, spinach and mushrooms with a smidgen of tomato sauce for half the calzones and added some mini meatballs which had been pre-cooked to this mix for the other half. The recipe for which came from Nigella Bites
A couple of points to bear in mind are to use the best mozzarella you can get hold of (I buy mine from Fratelli Camisa) and to use a pizza stone, as it helps give the base of the calzone a lovely texture and firmness.
As you can see in the photo, the dough gets a lovely bronze colour and the filling oozes unctuously. The ultimate in relaxed weekend food or perfect for a girls night in with a bottle or two of Italian beer. Beer by the way is the drink of choice with pizzas in Italy, as the fizz is supposed to help in the digestion and appreciation of the meal.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh yum! I adore homemade pizza, for me , the secret is fresh yeast (ou get a more elastic and crisp dough in my experience) and when cooking it, whack your oven to the highest temperature possible.
Your calzone sounds delicious as does that pub. I want one NOW.
I generally only use fresh yeast, especially for something like this. Still nothing can beat sitting in a Rome side street munching pizza, bliss.
The filling sounds delicious. I agree with you about Nigella’s meatballs – she definitely knows her way around one, lol.
You got pretty close to Rome I think:) The secret is those wood burning ovens and semolina flour to stop them sticking!! These calzone look great, you’re right about the beer, they also like coke with pizza!!
Thanks Lorraine for the huge compliment
I can’t believe you reckon my calzones are that good – a great start to my morning.
I did forget to mention that I always scatter my pizza stone with semolina flour, sorry folks.
This looks fantastic! I’m dying to get a pizza stone… It’s definitely on my to-buy list. Hmmm…perhaps this weekend!!
The calzone looks so good. Nigella’s meatballs are my favourite as well. I’ve always fancied trying calzone, but never have done. Reading your blog has inspired me so I really must one day soon. Thank you George xx
Looks so tasty George. I have never tried calzone. Very very tempting. I see you are on TasteSpotting
xxxx
Yes, it is tough to get a good pizza crust without a pizza stone. The filling sounds amazing and tasty!
I love making calzone and I love eating them even more! As much as I adore pizza, I think I actually prefer calzone. There I said it….and yours look delicious.
Looks great! I have a pizza stone and can’t wait to try this.
Delicious looking! I love pizzas. Calzone are terribly scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
I love calzone George, but I’ve never had a go at making my own. Great post!
Vicky xxx
It looks better than what you’d get in any pizzeria.
Your fillings are great too.
I’m sorry to have to say this, but I have decided that you are a wicked girl!
Calzone is something I was introduced to in Leeds; of all places, and no-one else comes up to par since (it was a very long time ago, so the memory is becoming dimmer by the day!)
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