The calzone is a different way to enjoy pizza, often underestimated perhaps because it has less filling and more dough than the classic pizza. I love him very much because he allows me to give free rein to the imagination. His soft and flowing heart it is always a surprise when cut. Try it in the classic version with the ham and mushrooms, or in the greedy one, as I did, with mushrooms and taleggio cheese. The starting dough is that of pizza, but if you are really in a hurry you can opt for the ready-made dough that can be found in the refrigerated counter of the supermarket or in bakeries. Last, but very last resort, is the rolled-up pizza dough from the fridge bug. For parties and buffets, prepare them in a mini version, using a 10 cm diameter pasta bowl.

Preparation

1

In a bowl or in your mixer, pour the flour, yeast, salt, oil and start mixing, gradually adding the warm water. Once the dough is smooth and homogeneous, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise for 3-4 hours. At the end the dough will be doubled and you can divide it into 4 parts that will become your 4 trousers. One at a time, begin to roll out the dough thinly (the thinner it is, the more crumbly your calzone will be and vice versa).

2

Once the dough is well rolled out, start stuffing it only halfway with the chosen ingredients (I preferred mushrooms and taleggio cheese). The other half left empty will be used to close the calzone.

3

Help yourself with the flaps of a fork to close the post, then fold the excess edges inwards, so as to create a sort of frame. Brush with tomato sauce.

4

You just have to repeat the same procedure with the remaining dough and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Tips and Curiosities

The Calzone can be seasoned with many ingredients that allow a wide choice on how to make the filling. It starts with the classic tomato and mozzarella, but we can add it, mushrooms, egg, peas, frankfurters, various cold cuts and if instead of mozzarella you want to add other types of cheeses, you can do it !! From provola, to scamorza, to Emmenthal in short, you can choose any. Finally you can also add vegetables such as aubergine, courgettes, peppers and so on. The Calzone is basically a closed pizza, so it lends itself to a thousand condiments. If during the drafting phase the dough should shrink a little, leave it for a couple of minutes and then take it back. In addition to being fried, it can be cooked al oven. It is recognized as a traditional agro-food product of Campania and Puglia, but there are also recipes that come from Lazio, Basilicata and Sicily. In short, it is a specialty of all of Italy!