Spinach and Red-Pepper Calzones: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

2000s Recipes + Menus

Serves4

Active time:30 min
Start to finish:50 min

April 2009

No need to call your local pizza joint. Thanks to prepared dough and bottled roasted red peppers, making your own calzones can be easy and far more satisfying. View more of our favorite recipes from this issue.

1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 large onion, halved and sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 oz baby spinach (8 packed cups)
4 bottled roasted red peppers, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)
12 oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped (about 3 Tbsp)
1 lb store-bought pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1/2 lb smoked mozzarella, cut into16 pieces

Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in lowest position. Sprinkle cornmeal on a large baking sheet.
Cook onion with 1/4 tsp salt in 2 Tbsp oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in red peppers, olives, and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round, then cut into quarters. Roll out 1 quarter into an 8-inch square (keep remaining pieces covered) and arrange with a corner nearest you. Put one fourth of filling on lower half, leaving a 1-inch border, and top with 4 pieces of cheese. Fold dough over to enclose filling. Seal edges. Beginning in 1 corner, stretch sealed edge outward, pinching and rolling dough up over edge to resemble a rope, working your way around. Transfer to baking sheet. Make 3 more calzones in same manner. Cut 3 steam vents in top of each and brush with remaining Tbsp oil.
Bake until golden-brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Cooks’ note: Filling (without cheese) can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau

Photograph by Romulo Yanes