Friday. 09/10//2015. 'Calzone with Ricotta, Pecorino, Mozzarella, Tomato and Pesto.'

This recipe comes from 'Gino's Veg Italia!' by Gino D'Acampo. Page 148.

First I must confess that I always wanted to learn how to make a Calzone. If I am good at making Pizza, a Calzone is not something that I had ever attempted. I will use my traditional excuse here, it was by lack of time and tiredness. As it is not the case anymore but also that my partner happened to be a fan of them, I just had to try my hand on that little gem of a recipe for it. The book picture was very attractive too, temptingly so. 

The Prep.

Second I have a home of big cheese lovers which means that the enumeration of so many cheeses in the title did not scare us away to have cheesy nightmares. On the contrary, the recipe of Gino D'Acampo had all the cheese appeal to hook us both.  250g of Ricotta, 50g of grated Pecorino, were duly put on the kitchen counter. As for the Mozzarella, as the recipe makes two Calzones, we did not use just one ball but we went for two... We do love it cheesy is our big excuse there for diverting by one ball of Buffalo Mozzarella.

The Pesto and Parmesan Topping.

In this recipe the first thing you have to do is the filling made of Ricotta and Pecorino Cheese. 
Then comes the turns of the topping which consists of Pesto 2 tbsp, olive oil 2 tbsp and 2 tbsp of  grated Parmesan cheese. All of those ingredients are constant residents in my home for we never have enough of them. 

Calzone dough prep.

Only then come the dough preparation, and if it felt topsy turvy to me, as the result was awesome I can not express one complaint. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just try, discover and learn plenty of new things in the meantime.  Sometimes you can not say you are right or wrong in doing this that way or not to anybody, just experience for yourself what others did from their own experiences. The beauty is that there is usually not one way, there are many and so great to explore and try at home. Until one day you find the perfect one which works for you, maybe with your own tweak and twist on it. 

Yeast and Salt on each side of the  Olive Oil Well 

Cover the Dough.

For the dough you will need 200g of strong white flour, 7g fast action yeast on one side of the flour in a bowl and 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt on the other side. But also 1 tbsp of fresh Rosemary, chopped which gives a fragrant taste to the dough. It makes it extra special, bellissima. Then you make the little well in the centre, put 2 tbsp of olive oil inside it before inserting 140 ml of warm water gradually with the handle of a spoon. It is another Topsy Turvy of Gino, to use the handle to stir rather than the big fat spoon bit, but trust me when I say it worked. 


Once the dough is kneaded for a good five minutes, you put your ball in an oiled bowl and brush it with oil. Then it is a matter of letting it rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

The Proofed Dough Ball.

Once the dough is ready: It is rock and roll time. Divide the ball into two and roll them out into discs on a floured surface. Now this is not the easiest part in the recipe, I would say it is may be the trickiest to get those round even and make sure they have the right consistency throughout. about 1 cm thick to 2 recommended Gino.

Chorizo and Shallots.

After that comes the assembling. Ready at hand you will have the Ricotta and Pecorino cheese mixture. But I added a few extras and one ingredients was changed for lack of it. For the adds, it was a chopped and softened banana shallots and 80g of Chorizo cubes. I didn't want to get just a four out of five after all that efforts from my partner just because he has to have meat in a dish... So I went for a five and included meat in that one with the Chorizo. I must say it was a very welcome addition. 

Bumble Bee Tomatoes.

Cherry Tomatoes halved. 

For the change we had 10 red cherry tomatoes, halved, instead of the yellow ones that could not be found. A few weeks earlier, I would have used my 'Bumble Bee' tomatoes in that recipe, for a complete winner. And for that I would say that this recipe is seasonal and to plan it with tomato harvest will be best.

Half and Half. 

So on one half of the 25 cm disc, I put the cheese filling then my shallots and Chorizo, the tomatoes, and finish off with the blob of mozzarella torn apart to spread it evenly on top. Then it is a matter of closing the Calzone by pinching the edges together and crimping them. 

Adding the Pesto Topping.

The last stage is that after 7 minutes, halfway through cooking, you then brush the pesto topping on and sprinkle some Parmesan. This topping detail gives a nice finish to the Calzone so much so that it is worth watching the clock to not forget about it. (gas mark 7/220 C.)

The Result.

The all process I would say is not complicated, and the result was fantastic. We both loved it very much indeed and the dish got a high five from the two of us. I will make it again in the Summer, many times every Summer. This recipe is a big winner in my home.