Sunni's Calzone Recipe

ok. first and foremost, this is the first ever time im posting a recipe that eyes other than mine shall see and minds other than mine shall attempt to comprehend. That being said, proceed at your own risk. LOL.

(note: this is a calzone, so you can put whatever you want in it. leftovers from last night are ok. so are sauteed veggies or fish or even lima beans if you want. Im just telling you what i do. I'm just making stuff up as i go. i usually just toss in whatever i find in my pantry, but alhamdulillah its turned out really good so far.

...i actually just waltzed over to my pantry to see what i have there so i could remember what was in it)

Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 little pack of yeast

salt to taste

HOT water as needed (the hotter the water, the better)

3 tbsp oil

Meat Filling:

2 lb loaf of boneless beef

1 onion sliced

3 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

2 tbsp barbecue sauce

1 tsp red pepper flakes

ground cumin as desired

lemon juice as desired

black pepper as desired

In the Calzone:

Marinara Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Bell Peppers

Sliced Jalapenos (the jar kind)

1 egg for glaze

First of all, knead the dough by mixing all the ingredients together. I usually just put everything in the bread machine, and let it do its thing, but by hand works fine too. An electric mixer works well, too but you still have to knead by hand again. You can use a store bought pizza dough (like pillsbury), but everyone thought the homemade dough tasted better. its also more economical if youre making it for more people. Ive also found that even if you do double the amount of dough used, you still only need one sachet of yeast.

Leave the dough covered in a warm place (i leave mine in the bread machine) for about 3-4 hrs to let rise. I once let it rise for that long and then put in the fridge overnight. It turned out really well.

Next for the meat, cut the loaf into small 3 inch pieces. It will cook faster this way, but you dont have to cut it. Add in all the ingredients and water enough so that the meat has drowned. Cook for approximately 2 and a half hours. Make sure to have all the water dry up, and your meat should be such that when you test it, it should crumble easily.

Let the meat cool, and crumble it using a wooden spoon.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Next grease the pan, generously, with olive oil.

Roll the dough into a ball. Dust the work surface with all-purpose flour. Using a rolling pin, spread out the dough into circular shape. Thickness should be as you desire, but I've found about 1/4 of an inch works well for me, because it does spread itself further when you add the filling.

First, put in a tbsp of marinara sauce on one half of the dough leaving approximately half an inch at the corners. This will be the area we will seal. Do not use more marinara! The calzone WILL tear. Then add mozzarella cheese. Then meat, then bell peppers, then jalapenos. Add some more cheese. Any other ingredients are optional as are these. Season with salt and pepper.

Now close the calzone. Brush the edges with water and carefully take the edges over the filling. Firmly press together. Now using the back of the fork, press down sealing the calzone closed.

Brush the top with the calzone with a whipped egg coating. This is not neccessary, it just makes it shiny. Make 3 slits in the top of the calzone.

Put on the baking tray and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, or till golden. Most ovens should not require you to flip the calzone over, but Ive found in mine that it cooks unevenly if I dont.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired. I have yet to find halal parmesan, so i dont do this.

Now serve with ranch or bleu cheese and enjoy!

I just found a video that demonstrates how to to make it. LOL! I could have just posted this link and that would be that. Well, at least you'll know what I mean now.