Grilled Calzones

Cutting Board Wednesday is upon us yet again, and this week I am attacking re-thinking some favorite Italian style fare!  My Italian genes run deep and I just can't let go of my favorite foods, so I have been trying to find new ways to cook and substitute ingredients in some of my favorite dishes to make them a little healthier.  Thanks to the folks in the advertising department at Pizza Hut, I have been craving a P'Zone (aka calzone) like a drunken college kid at 2 am on a 3 day weekend bender.  Thanks to the almighty grill and a filling change I was able to satiate my craving!  I opted for a grilled crust, as opposed to deep fried, chose lean grilled chicken breast, cheddar, and broccoli for my fillings, and decided to nix the sauce.  A light sauce, turkey pepperoni, and skim cheese would work too for the traditionalists out there! Get creative with your fillings and make it to suit your tastes - this recipe's fillings are just a suggestion, so have fun with it!  You can also bake your calzone if you are not the grilling type or the weather just does not want to permit it!

Grilled Calzones 
Yields 3 large calzones

Ingredients 

Crust 
This recipe is the Kitchen Aid Crispy Pizza Crust recipe.  If you do not want to make your own crust, you could use a pre-made plain crust from your local grocery store, or you can buy pre-made pizza dough in a bag, which is usually found near the deli counter at the grocery store!  Pillsbury also has great crusts which can be found near their biscuits and rolls in the refrigerated section of the grocery store! If you decide to use a crust such as Pillsbury, you will need 1 crust for each calzone you intend to make.
1 cup water heated between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups flour  

Toppings 
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 broccoli crown, cleaned and chopped (or 1 small bag of frozen broccoli, thawed)

You will also need aluminum foil for the grill!


To Prepare the Crust
1. Heat the water between 110 and 115 degrees.
2. Pour the yeast and water in a bowl or mixer, and gently mix them together.
3. Add the salt and olive oil to the bowl and gently mix.
4. Add the flour, starting with 2 1/2 cups, and adding no more flour than 3 1/2 cups total.  The dough should stick together in a ball and still be slightly sticky when there is just enough flour added!
5. Coat a bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl, turning it until the entire dough ball is coated with a thin layer of oil.
6. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and place it in a warm place that is free of drafts.
7. Let the dough set for an hour, or until it has doubled in size. 

To Prepare the Calzone
1. Prepare your grill by either turning it to a high setting, or getting the coals nice and hot.  If you plan on baking your calzone, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. 
2. While your grill is heating, cut three pieces of aluminum foil that are each approximately 1 foot long, and split your dough into 3 equal parts, with each piece of dough going onto a piece of foil.  To keep your calzone from sticking to the foil after cooking, sprinkle some corn meal on the foil!  If you are baking your calzones, you can use a baking sheet with some parchment paper. 
3. Throw your chicken on the grill and cook it until it is almost cooked all of the way through.  Keep in mind that it will be going back on the grill or in the oven, and you will not want it to dry out!  When it is done cooking, cut it into strips or cubes. 
4. Spread the dough into a circle by pressing from the inside of the dough ball out with the palm of your hand.
5. When you are happy with the size and thickness of your crust, fill one half of the circle with fillings, and then gently pull the empty half of the circle over the toppings and press the edge of the calzone shut.
5. Turn down your grill to a low setting, or take the lid off for a few minutes.
6. Carry each of your calzones to the grill by carrying it from opposite corners of the foil, and gently place it down on the grill.
7. Once all of your calzones are on the grill, cover them and let them cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is firm and brown, and the top is firm and cooked through.  The foil will stick just a little bit, so be sure you get all of it off before enjoying your meal!  A little corn meal on the bottom of the crust will greatly help prevent this!  If you are baking them, cook them until the dough is firm and begins to turn golden brown. 

Pizza Pizza!

Last night was homemade pizza night!  My Grandma Nancy has been making pizza at her house for at least 15 years.  Whenever we would make the ride out to Pennsylvania we would beg for her to make "Grandma Pizza"...it would only be a 5 hour drive to pick up our pizza order hehe!  She loads a fluffy crust with, in this order: sauce, parmesan, pepperoni, sausage, olives, and two kinds of shredded cheese.   It bakes and bakes and bakes, and when it finally comes out of the oven is bubbling, golden brown, and smells something beyond delicious!

When I asked my brother what he wanted for dinner this week, since he goes back to dining hall food this weekend, he said, "Grandma Pizza!"  I wanted to go Grandma's route, but couldn't afford the list of ingredients with the food budget, so I decided to go with a Barbecue Chicken Pizza and a Rustic Vegetable Pizza.

I made a crust from scratch with a recipe from my Kitchen Aid book, which I am now referring to as the Holy Grail.  I doubled this recipe to make 2 pizzas!

Crusty Pizza Dough 
Yields dough for 1 large pizza
Source: Recipes For Your Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

Ingredients 
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl.  Add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour.  Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer.  Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes.  Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover.  Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.  Punch dough down.

Brush 14-inch pizza pan with oil.  Sprinkle with cornmeal.  Press dough across bottom of pan, forming a collar around edge to hold toppings.  Add toppings as desired.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

I stuck fairly close to the recipe since I am still pretty new to the world of raised doughs, but I did make a few small changes because of what was available to me in my kitchen pantry.  I was out of olive oil, so I replaced it with white truffle oil, which just added to the flavor of the crust.  It did not changed the dough physically.  The only other change I made was the pan I used.  A pizza pan is not something I have added to my cooking arsenal yet, so I split the dough in two balls (remember...I made a double batch!) and spread it across to large baking sheets!  

And for the toppings...

On the chicken pizza, I poured a 18 ounce jar of BBQ sauce, 1 pound of chopped pan-seared chicken, and 2 cups of shredded white cheddar.

On the veggie pizza, I placed a handful of spinach leaves, sundried tomatoes, sliced black olives, shitake mushrooms, and a heavy sprinkling of parmesan cheese. 

The results are in... 

The Barbecue Chicken Pizza was a HUGE hit!  The Veggie Pizza, on the other hand, was good but missing something...I think it is called moisture!  Oops!  I really should have put some red sauce down on it, or opted for a shredded cheese that would have added some moisture while it cooked.  You cook, you learn...I'll have better luck next time hehe!

Savory Nut Loaf with Cheddar Bechamel Sauce

Oh the infamous nut loaf!  I realized a few years ago that it is a bit of a staple in a lot of vegetarian's diets, and despite that fact, has become a bit of a punch line amongst the meat eating community.  After growing up in a meat and potatoes household, I explored vegetarianism when I went to college (I know, shocking stuff).  I would do ok for a few months, and then retreat back to meat either at Thanksgiving or the 4th of July.  I just cannot resist roasted turkey and juicy burgers!  Despite my weakness for meat, I do still enjoy vegetarian dishes, and usually try to incorporate 1 a week into our dinner menu. The real trick though, is getting my dad and sister to enjoy them.  I tend to run into a lot of problems because my sister HATES lots of vegetables, and my dad, while he will eat just about anything, he is just not very open minded about meals that completely omit meat.  Meatloaf is his favorite dinner, so here's hoping!

Savory Nut Loaf
Yields 6 servings

To Prepare the Nut Loaf
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. 
3. Dice 1 small onion, and add it to the frying pan.

4. Dice 1 cup of shitake mushrooms, and add them to the frying pan.  You don't have to use shitakes, but I would avoid the canned mushrooms!  This recipe is a delicate balance of wet and dry, and the moisture will throw your end result!
5. Dice 2 cloves of garlic, or if you are using the pre-diced add 1 tablespoon. Add it to the frying pan.

6. Chop 2 cups of nuts.  I chose cashews and walnuts!  You can either chop them by hand, or you can pulverize them in a food processor.  I went the route of hand chopping, which gives them a texture ranging from sand to small pebble.  If you want more consistency, go with a food processor or magic bullet!  If you suffer from a nut allergy, you could use soy nuts.

7. Pour the chopped nuts into a large mixing bowl.
8. Pour the frying pan mixture in with the nuts once the onions have turned translucent and the mushrooms have started to brown.

9. Add 1 cup of cottage cheese to the bowl.  You can use any cheese you like...don't feel obligated to go this route if you don't like it!  If you would like to make this recipe vegan, you can use a vegan cheese! 

10. Add 2 cups brown rice to the bowl.

11. Add 2 large eggs to the bowl, and mix everything together well!

12. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, or grease it with a little butter.
13. Pour the mixture from the bowl, into the greased loaf pan.  Even out the top of the loaf mix and place it in the oven.

14. Bake the loaf for approximately 1 hour, until the loaf is firm and golden brown!

To Prepare the Bechamel Sauce
1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan.
2. Once the butter is melted, thoroughly mix in 1 tablespoon of flour.

3. Once the butter and flour is bubbling and thick, mix in 1 cup of milk.
4. When the milk has come to a boil, mix in 1 cup of shredded cheddar and mix continually until they cheese is melted and fully incorporated into the sauce!