Monday 24 September 2018

Calzone (Folded Pizza)- Two Ways!

Calzone is a folded pizza, which also originated in Naples, and is considered mostly a street food.

Usually, calzones contain more meat and/or vegetables. Sometimes, they can contain egg, especially when sealing and baking. However, I have not used eggs at all; only olive oil, which gives a great flavour when baking pizza. There are two toppings I have done (margherita/cheese and tomato, as well as four cheese & mushroom), since I have received thousands of requests for pizza. The dough is the same as the previous pizza recipe. I shall include this here for easy reference.
CALZONE-TWO WAYS!
Dough:
2 ¼ tsp yeast (7g or 1 envelope)
2 ½ cups bread flour
½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp olive oil
¾ cup (about 150-180 ml) lukewarm water
Cornmeal + extra olive oil for dressing



Olive Oil Sauce-For Calzone with Four Cheeses & Mushrooms

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (optional)

Salt to taste

Dash of black pepper

Dash of Italian herbs (especially dried oregano and dried basil)

Dash of parmesan cheese powder (optional)

 

Toppings:

Pizza sauce given above

3 large mushrooms

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

Salt, pepper and ground thyme to taste

50g mozzarella cheese, grated

10g parmesan cheese, grated (either block or already grated- otherwise, just use powder)

40g gruyere cheese, grated

4-6 tsp Philadelphia cream cheese

 

Note: You can add caramelised onions and/or fresh rosemary if you like.

METHOD:
Dough:
1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in your lukewarm water and let this stand for about 5 mins.
2. Mix flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and add your lukewarm water to it gradually.
3. Bring your dough together first, by folding in the flour to the wet ingredients. If it's too dry, then you need to add more regular water, but gradually and keep mixing until you get a soft and well-combined dough as shown in the video.
4. Knead your dough until smooth. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
5. Rub a little olive oil on your dough and place it to proof in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until well risen.
6. Knock back dough after it has risen and get all air out.
7. Preheat oven to 200 deg C (420 deg F or Gas Mark 6). Remember, this should be lower for fan forced ovens (190 deg C, 375 deg F or Gas Mark 5).
8. Stretch and roll to desired shape. Keep aside.
9. Grease the back of a baking sheet or pizza stone with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle cornmeal. Place this into the hot oven and let the tray get a bit hot. This should take only about 5-10 mins.
 
Sauce:
For Margherita
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ onion, finely chopped (optional) 
137g canned tomato, diced (you can choose to use puree, but I prefer diced, since I can check the quality)
Salt to taste
Dash of black pepper
Dash of Italian herbs (especially dried oregano and dried basil)
Pinch of sugar
Dash of parmesan cheese powder (optional)
 
-Some people add onion powder, garlic powder, other herbs and paprika for taste. You can add whatever spices you like. Others even add red chilli powder and/or tomato ketchup for flavour, especially in India. I, personally, do not do this.
 

Toppings:
1 tbsp prepared pizza sauce (as above)
125g buffalo milk mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
3 tbsp parmesan cheese (you can use powdered, grated or block variety)
6 basil leaves
½ to 1 tbsp olive oil for baking
Note: you might need a little water to seal the edges
 
 

Sauce:
1.      Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and let it cook till fragrant.
2.      Add onion and lightly sauté until pink.
3.      Gently blend the tomatoes with either hand, fork or blender (your choice).
4.      Add blended tomatoes & cook properly. You might need to add a bit of water, in case mixture is too thick.
5.      Add salt, pepper, herbs, sugar and cheese. Add whatever seasonings you like at this point. You might wish to add 1-2 fresh basil leaves, chopped at this point.
6.      Cover this up & cook for 10 mins. Keep aside.
 
Toppings:
 1.      Spread the sauce on one half of the pizza base.
2.      Top that half with buffalo milk mozzarella, parmesan cheese, a little salt and pepper.
3.      Top with basil leaves.
4.      Fold the other half gently on top & seal edges with a fork.
5.      Brush with olive oil and transfer calzone onto baking sheet or pizza stone. 
6.      Bake for 5-10 mins or until dough browns a little, and/or calzone smells nice and fragrant.

 

For Mushroom & Four Cheese
1.      Mix all ingredients together well and keep aside.
 Toppings:
1.      Heat oil in a pan, and add garlic. Cook till fragrant.
2.      Add mushrooms and cook till a bit soft.
3.      Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Keep aside.
4.      Brush one half with olive oil sauce and place mushrooms on top
5.      Top with mozzarella, parmesan and gruyere cheese.
6.      Place spoonfuls of cream cheese on all sides. You may wish to season again to your taste.
7.      Fold the other half gently on top & seal edges with a fork.
8.      Brush with olive oil and transfer calzone onto baking sheet or pizza stone. 
9.      Bake for 5-10 mins or until dough browns a little, and/or calzone smells nice and fragrant.
10.  Serve both types of calzone hot with green salad or as desired.
 
NUTRITIONAL TABLE
Above (Calzone Margherita); Below (Calzone with Four Cheeses & Mushroom)
Nutritional Table- For 3 Calzones
Cal (kcal)
1534
Total Fat (g)
65.2
Saturated Fat (g)
21.7
Cholesterol (mg)
30
Sodium (mg)
332
Total Carbohydrate (g)
186.9
Dietary Fibre (g)
12.2
Total Sugars (g)
12.5
Protein (g)
56.1
Vitamin D (%)
0
Calcium (%)
18
Iron (%)
70
Potassium (%)
10
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Nutritional Table
 
Cal (kcal)
1283
Total Fat (g)
53.3
Saturated Fat (g)
12
Cholesterol (mg)
24
Sodium (mg)
457
Total Carbohydrate (g)
166.8
Dietary Fibre (g)
7.9
Total Sugars (g)
1.1
Protein (g)
40.4
Vitamin D (%)
181
Calcium (%)
36
Iron (%)
66
Potassium (%)
9


 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

Deconstructed Panzanella Salad


If you asked me what the world's best cuisine should be, I know some of you would agree and others won't. Being a vegetarian, I cannot find much to eat in French cuisine, which is deemed to be the world's best. But, I feel that Italian cooking is the best; strong in the right places and subtle where it should be. Each region has something it is famous for and all Italians celebrate food everyday. It is the way to live if you ask me...

Tuscany is a region famous for its fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses and wine. One of my favourite dishes from there is a fresh panzanella salad, made of sweet cherry tomatoes and crispy bread pieces.You can use any strong bread you like, but this time, I am using multigrain bread to keep it healthy. This is also a rare vegan recipe and reminds me of the stories my parents told me about their romantic honeymoon to Italy many years ago. Until now, they continue to remember the fresh, organic Italian fare...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xj5d4-pick&t=341s
 

DECONSTRUCTED PANZANELLA SALAD

Ingredients

For Salad
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup red or yellow bell peppers, julienned (you can use even green if you like)
1/4 cup cucumbers, diced (I prefer them unpeeled)
1/4 onion, finely chopped (you can use red or white; I leave that up to you...)
2-3 tbsp black olives, finely chopped
80g multigrain bread (you can dice the bread like a traditional salad, but I prefer to leave them in slices)
Olive oil, salt, black pepper and fresh basil for bread
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped for bread

For Dressing
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
1 tsp fresh basil
Salt and black pepper to taste

 
METHOD
For Dressing:
1. Mix all ingredients together well and keep aside.

 
For Salad:
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg Celsius (350 deg F or Gas Mark 4)
2. Drizzle bread with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, salt, black pepper and basil.
3. Bake bread for about 5-10 mins until bread gets crispy.
4. Mix tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, onion and olives into a bowl.
5. Add dressing and toss well.
6. Serve salad and bread separately on a board or plate, as shown here.

 
Tips: I have kept this vegan, but you may even serve on the side, pieces of fresh mozzarella cheese or any other cold cheese you think goes well with salad.

 

 

NUTRITIONAL TABLE

Calories (kcal)
930.2
Total Fat (g)
55.1
Saturated Fat (g)
7.66
Cholesterol (mg)
0.6
Sodium (mg)
424.4
Total Carbohydrates (g)
98.9
Dietary Fibre (g)
16.76
Total Sugars (g)
22.3
Protein (g)
16.38
Vit D (%)
0
Calcium (%)
11.8
Iron (%)
31
Potassium (%)
18.2