1 envelope dry yeast
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 c. flour, divided
1 lb. red onion, sliced thin
1 large red bell pepper
4 sweet Italian sausages, castings removed
12 oz. ricotta cheese, drained 1 hour
3 c. mozzarella cheese, grated
3 tsp. dried oregano
2 T. olive oil
Corn Meal for dusting
Option: 2 cloves crushed garlic in 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
Pour warm water into a large bowl and stir in yeast. Let stand about 5 minutes until
yeast dissolves. Mix in salt and oil. Add 3 3/4 cups flour (do 1/2 cup at a time),
stirring until blended. Transfer to a floured surface and knead dough (you may not
need all of the 1/2 cup reserved flour for this). You want it smooth and elastic, but not
sticky. Rub inside a large bowl with oil and place dough in the bowl. Flip the dough
over (oily side up) and cover with saran wrap in a draft free place for 1 hour, 15 min.
The dose has risen when 2 fingers indentations remain. Filling: Place a red pepper on
a baking sheet and set the oven to broil. Roast the pepper until all of the sides are black. Transfer to a bowl and cover with saran wrap for 10 minutes. The steam will help shed the skin. Peel, seed and slice into thin strips. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat olive oil, over medium high heat. Cook red onions until brown (25 minutes.) Remove onions to a bowl and cook sausage, breaking it into small bits, until done. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together the mozzarella, ricotta and oregano. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Place oven racks in the top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of the oven.
Preheat to 400 degrees. Brush 2 cookie sheets with olive oil and dust with cornmeal.
Punch down the dough. Knead on a floured surface for 1 minute. Divide dough into 4
equal portions,shaping each into a ball. Roll each into a 9 inch round. I transfer it to
the bake sheet before assembly.) Spread 1/3 cup of the cheese mixture over half of
each round, leaving a 3/4 inch border. Place 1/4 of the onions, another 1/3 cup cheese
mixture, 1/4 of the sausage, 1/3 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 of the peppers.
Fold dough over forming a half circle and seal edges firmly, so nothing leaks out.
Pierce top of calzone a few times with a sharp knife so steam can escape while
baking. Repeat with 3 other calzones, 2 per bake sheet. Bake 15 minutes, reverse
sheets and bake 15 more minutes, until golden brown. Makes 4 HUGE calzones.
Note: You can be creative with the fillings. I recommend making sure everything is
cooked going into the calzones. 4 calzones can easily feed 8 people. I'd also consider
adding garlic flavored melted butter to brush on as it comes out of the oven.
Note #2: I doubled the dough and the cheese filling. I made 4 circles of dough, wrapped them up and divided the cheese mixture by 4 and put it in baggies. Then a freezer bag. Now when my son wants a calzone in college, he just needs to buy a jar of roasted red peppers and fry up sausage/ onion. Stuff and bake.
