February 2021
Pesto Calzone
Paired with Great Frogs Field Blend Red
A collage of savory roasted veggies, freshly prepared pesto, and homemade pizza dough complete this Calzone. Recipes as pizza and calzone you have many ingredient options, this recipe is no different. Although the recipe calls for no cheese no meat, it is certainly up to your own taste buds to add fresh mozzarella, grated Parmesan. Making your own pizza dough is not as daunting as you may think, it comes together quite quickly as does the freshly made pesto. No harm though in purchasing premade pizza dough and premade pesto. Fresh basil, garlic and roasted vegetables pack this calzone with loads of flavor! This calls for a wine that can hold up these flavors and yet complement it as well. Great frogs Field Blend Red is the choice. Field Blend Red is a medium bodied Bordeaux blend with light oak, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, petit Verdot.You won’t be disappointed!
Ingredients. Serves 4
If you are making the dough from scratch, do this step first. you will have time to prepare filling while dough rises, (which takes 1 hour). See Dough recipe below.
8 oz package Bella mushrooms
1 red bell pepper
1 medium sized white or yellow onion
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
Preheat oven for roasting at 425degrees. Chop pepper, onion and mushrooms. For tomatoes, cut in half. Spray or lightly toss in olive oil, dried basil, salt and pepper, Roast @ 425 degree oven for 15 -20 min or until lightly browned.
While veggies are roasting prepare rest of filling
1 can artichokes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup Kalmata olives, cut in pieces or halved
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in herbs and oil, drained.
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped.
1/2 cup pesto. If using pesto from a jar, I would add a handful of chopped fresh basil leaves.
Toss all ingredients into a bowl. when roasted veggies are cooled, add those as well. If you decide to add cheese, add 1 cup of shredded mozzarella , mix in to evenly distribute.
Divide pizza dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each dough potion into a circle, approximately 10”. Fill one half with 1/4 of filling. Fold dough over , rolling edges into each other to seal in filling. Repeat with rest of dough and filling. Prick a few holes into with fork to allow steam to escape . Place on heated pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake 35-45 min.
Basic Pesto
Servings: Makes about 1-1/4 cups (about 10 servings)
Total Time: 15 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup walnuts
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 cups gently packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, best quality such as Lucini or Colavita
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the walnuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until coarsely chopped, about 10 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper and process until mixture resembles a paste, about 1 minute. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly blended. Add the Parmesan and process a minute more. Use pesto immediately or store in a tightly sealed jar or air-tight plastic container, covered with a thin layer of olive oil (this seals out the air and prevents the pesto from oxidizing, which would turn it an ugly brown color). It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Pesto can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months. You can also divide your prepared pesto into the compartments of an ice cube tray and freeze. Once it’s frozen, remove the pesto cubes from the tray and put in a sealable plastic bag or airtight container.Basic Pesto
Notes: Credit- onceuponachef.com w/Jenn Segal.
Basic Pizza Dough
Make any type of pizza with this basic dough. If you’re entertaining a crowd or just want to prepare extra dough for freezing, double the recipe (pizza dough freezes very well for up to a month).
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
3 cups unbleached all-purpose bread flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (plus extra for greasing bowl)
In a measuring cup, place warm water. The water should be warm to the touch but not too hot (water that is too hot will kill the yeast; and water that is too cold will not activate it).
Sprinkle the yeast into the water, add sugar, and stir gently until both ingredients dissolve (about 1 minute). When yeast is mixed with water at the proper temperature, a smooth, beige mixture results.
Let stand for 5 minutes, until a thin layer of creamy foam covers surface, indicating that the yeast is effective. (Note: If bubbles have not formed within 5 minutes, discard mixture and start over with a fresh package of yeast).
Mixing by hand:
Combine 3 cups flour with sea salt in a large-size mixing bowl. Make a well in center and pour in your yeast mixture and oil. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir flour into well, beginning in center and working toward sides of bowl, blending well to get rid of any lumps. Next, place dough onto a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour and knead gently. Turn and repeat until the dough is silky and elastic (about 10 minutes). Note: too much kneading overdevelops the gluten in the flour and results in a tough crust.
Pizza Dough Tip: The temperature in your kitchen should be around 68–75°F (20–24°C) for the dough to rise properly.
Once you have mixed and kneaded the dough, shape into a ball and place into a well-oiled bowl. Turn the dough ball to coat with oil completely as this prevents a hard surface from forming that would inhibit rising. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and drape a kitchen cloth over top.
Let the dough rise in a draft-free, warm place until it has doubled in size (about 1 to 1-1/2 hours). When the dough is ready, use your fist to punch it down, to eliminate the air bubbles. Next, use the following measurements as a general guide for dough distribution:
To make one 15 to 16 inch pizza, keep dough in a single ball.
To make two 12 inch pizzas or two 9 inch deep-dish pizzas, divide dough into 2 pieces.
To make individual 9 inch pizzas, divide dough into 4 to 6 equal sized portions.
To make appetizer sized pizzas, divide dough into 12 to 18 equal sized portions.
Dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 36 hours before the yeast is exhausted and the dough unusable or for long term storage place the dough within a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to a month. Remember to let chilled dough come to room temperature before shaping.