Italian Calzone (Stuffed Pizza Pasty)

Serves	4
Prep time	2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	2 hours, 50 minutes
Allergy	Wheat
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party
Region	Italian
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

Italian Calzone (Stuffed Pizza Pasty) - these stuffed pizza pasty type pies are packed with Italian meat, cheese, tomatoes, capers, artichoke hearts & herbs, and are truly delectable. Perfect for picnics, lunch boxes and family weekend supper or lunches.

Ingredients

Pizza dough

300g strong plain white flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 teaspoon dried yeast (5g sachet)
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
150mls tepid milk
100mls tepid water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Filling

125g smoked lardons
1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tomatoes, diced (or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved)
200g assorted meats, diced (such as chorizo, ham, prosciutto and salami)
2 teaspoons dried organo
1 tablespoon capers
50g grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tin of artichoke hearts (200g)
200g mozzarella, diced into small cubes

Note

These stuffed pizza pasty type pies are packed with Italian cured meats, cheese, tomatoes, capers, artichoke hearts & herbs, and are truly delectable. Perfect for picnics, lunch boxes and family weekend supper or lunches.

Directions

Step 1	Pizza dough: Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar together in a bowl or in a food mixer with a dough hook; then add the olive oil, water and milk. Knead until smooth - this will take about 8 to 10 minutes, or if using a food mixer, knead for 4 to 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and has not lumps.
Step 2	Put the dough into a floured bowl and cover with some cling-film or a clean tea towel, set it somewhere warm and allow to rise for about 1 hour - it should double in size in an hour.
Step 3	Pre-heat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas mark 8 and grease and/or line a baking tray with oil and/or grease-proof paper.
Step 4	Fry the lardons in a large frying pan and once the fat starts to run, add the onions, garlic and chopped tomatoes. Fry until the lardons are crisp and the onion is cooked. Take the pan of the heat and add the remaining ingredients for the filling, and mix well. Set to one side.
Step 5	Tip the dough out onto the floured surface and cut into 2 or 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and roll out to 2 x 12" (25cm) circles or 4 x 8" (20cm) circles.
Step 6	Share the filling between all the dough circles, spooning it onto one half of each circle, leaving a 1" (2.5cm) gap around the edges.
Step 7	Brush the edges with a little water and then fold the dough over the filling to make a pasty shaped pie, crimping the edges to from a tight seal.
Step 8	Place the calzoni onto the prepared baking tray and bake in pre-heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bread dough is cooked and is golden brown.
Step 9	Allow the calzoni to cool slightly before serving them cut into thick slices with salad. (Allow 1 calzone per person if making 4 smaller ones, and 1 between 2 people if making the 2 larger ones.)