Sopressata and Genoa Salami Calzones

Sopressata and Genoa Salami Calzones for Lunch!

As You have heard if you read my blog, a lot of cool things have been going on, Myself and 20 fellow food bloggers (see the complete list here) will be spending the next 3 weeks cooking our way through this book and sharing with you our experiences.  By following us you will get a sneak peek into the world of kicked-up delicious sandwiches.

Want a chance to win your very own copy of Emeril’s Kicked Up Sandwiches? Here's all you have to do.  Stop by my blog, Facebook and leave a comment, or Twitter me between now and Oct 11th.  Leave a comment on any or all of the Emeril posts (there will be 2 or more posts per week) let me know what you think of these sandwiches; which ones you'd want to try and you will be entered.  The winner will be announced on Oct. 11^th.

For additional entries:

Follow me on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know

Follow Emeril on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know

Follow Morrow Cookbooks on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know.

Also don't forget that all the bloggers will be giving away copies of Emeril's Kicked Up Sandwiches cookbook over the next 3 weeks so be sure to visit all of them and visit often for more chances to win.

Here's your first glimpse of what's in store I made these for lunch at the Firehouse today ..........Sopressata and Genoa Salami Calzones.

Sopressata and Genoa Salami Calzones

(Kicked up Sandwiches, Emeril Lagasse)

1 recipe Semolina Pizza Dough (page 298)

1 cup Quick Tomato Sauce for Calzones (recipe follows) or your favorite jarred pizza/pasta sauce

1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

8 ounces mixed sopressata, hot sopressata, Genoa salami, and/or pepperoni, chopped

1 cup ricotta cheese, drained

8 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Flour or cornmeal, for dusting the pizza peel

1. Place a pizza stone in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F. (Alternatively, place an upside-down rimmed baking sheet on the rack in your oven.)

2. Halve one of the pieces of dough and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to form two 8-inch rounds. Spread ¼ cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom half of each round, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the basil and one-quarter of the cured meats evenly over each portion of sauce. Sprinkle one-quarter of the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and crushed red pepper over each portion of meat. Gently fold the top half of the dough over the filling, rolling and pressing the edges together with your fingertips to seal them, and crimping as you go along. Make 2 more calzones with the remaining ingredients.

3. Depending on the size of your oven, you may be able to bake only 2 calzones at a time. Cut several small slits in the top of each calzone to allow air to escape while baking, and transfer the calzones to a pizza peel that has been lightly dusted with flour or cornmeal (to facilitate moving the dough). Tilt the pizza peel to slide the calzones onto the preheated baking stone. Bake for 16 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the dough is cooked through. Remove the calzones from the oven with the pizza peel or a spatula, and serve immediately or at room temperature.

Quick Tomato Sauce for Calzones
1 3/4 c ups
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and pureed
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the tomatoes, thyme sprig, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the extra-virgin olive oil, discard the thyme sprig, and set aside until ready to use.

So there is the recipe from the book, I made them fairly easily and in a short amount of time, I cheated and used a pizza dough ball they sell at our grocery store, its fresh dough balls made every day, and cooking at the firehouse if I had the extra time I would have made the dough from scratch, but the dough balls at Tony's Finer Foods are awesome when time isn't on your side. 

I cut the dough ball in 1/2 add a little flour to the board

Spread some sauce and chopped the fresh basil and added it

Added the chopped Sopresseta and Genoa Salami's

Added the Ricotta Cheese and the mozzarella and folded them over
I pinched the edges together

I cooked them for the 16 minutes and the turned out great had a nice brown color, crispy shell, and I absolutely loved the way the oils from the salami's mixed with the sauce and enhanced it, the pop of the basil, this was a very tasty lunch. I'd make it again, and again, the ability to make these with individual ingredients is the best part, and it would be completely kid friendly,and a great meal to make with your kids... It was easy to make, very filling..

The completed Calzones!