Chorizo, Pepper, and Onion Calzones
My wife and I finished watching all seven seasons of Parks and Rec a few weeks ago, the end of a five month journey. I consume an amount of media befitting of a millennial (read: I watch a lot of TV) and having watched Parks and Rec before knew that my wife would enjoy it (and you would too!). .
And like Ben Wyatt, I love a good calzone. In season 4 while searching for a job Ben takes some time to explore the world of Italian fast casual dining. How can you lose with a calzone? . I’m just sad that Ben’s vision for the healthy Italian eatery, the Low-Cal Calzone Zone, never came to fruition.
This is the fourth of fifth time I’ve made calzones in the past year and finally I remembered to take some pictures. These are our go-to dinner from the freezer when we don’t feel like cooking or just aren’t in the mood for leftovers. For a while Wednesday night was .
I use my two hour pizza dough recipe and make six calzones at a time. They freeze really well and can be defrosted in the microwave or oven on short notice. Last month I made some with Italian sausage, grilled chicken, peppers, and onions. These were similar only I swapped out the sausage and chicken for chorizo. Like with a pizza you can add just about any filling you want. I’ve found that one onion, half a pepper, and a little less than a 1/4 lb. of meat is good for each calzone. We typically split them in half and eat with salad or some other veggies.
I made these on Saturday and we split one for lunch and froze the rest. After lunch I went to check the mail and found a small box waiting for me. Inside was a belated birthday gift from friends, this amazing (if you want a bigger one, )! With calzones and this fantastic model, I’m sure to be the life of the party.
- 5¼ cups All-purpose or Bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2½ teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ cups water
- 3 red peppers, diced
- 6 medium onions, diced
- 1 pound chorizo (or other meat)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and knead for 7-8 minutes on medium speed (or 10-12 minutes by hand). The dough will remain quite tough.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover, let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.
- Once doubled lightly knead the dough and place back in the bowl. Cover and let rise another hour.
- Prepare the filling while the dough rises
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook for 15 minutes, breaking up the chorizo as it cooks. Continue to cook until done, then remove the chorizo and set aside in a small bowl.
- Add the peppers, onions, and chili powder to the skillet. There will be fat leftover from the chorizo, but add a small about of oil if needed. Cook until softened, 10-15 minutes. Set aside when done
- Combine the tomato sauce and garlic in a small bowl.
- Line two baking sheets with baking mats or parchment paper and lightly flour.
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Cut the dough into 6 equal sized pieces, shaping each into a ball. Let rest for 5 minutes. Shape each dough ball into a disc about 8 inches in diameter. If the dough shrinks as you stretch it out, just let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
- Working on the baking sheet, place about ¼ cup of sauce on half the calzone dough. Leave a small amount of space clear around the edge. Add in about ½ cup of the vegetable filling and ¼ cup of the meat. Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Pull the untopped half of the dough over the filling and seal the edges. Using a knife cut three small openings in the top of the dough. Top with more cheese.
- Repeat with the other five pieces of dough.
- Baking calzones in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until the cheese and dough have browned. Keep an eye on the cheese so it doesn't burn, turn the temperature down if needed.
- Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
