Got Dough? Make stromboli!

Tuesday night was pizza night in our house this past week.  I took dough out of the freezer, was all excited that I already had the necessary ingredients and was feeling ready to go.  It was 4:30, the dough should be defrosted by 6:30/7:00, this was great.  WRONG.  Pizza dough does not defrost in just 2 hours.  By the time Rob got home and we decided what to do, the dough balls were still frozen solid.  So the great husband that he is, he went to the grocery store and bought two fresh balls for pizza night.

This however, left me with 2 extra balls of dough and what to do with them....Didn't have time to do anything Wednesday night and who really wants pizza two nights in a row?  There was no time on Thursday, and Friday we went to the Topsfield Fair.  So there the balls of dough sat in my fridge exploding inside their bag they were rising so much.

Well, conveniently Saturday night, I had invited neighbors over for food and drinks, so it was time to play.  I've been craving an Italian Sub recently, so I thought an Italian cold cuts calzone or stromboli would fit the bill, just right.  But I've never actually made one.  Can't be too hard, roll up the meats, add some cheese, bake it, slice it.  Alright, let's play.

Ingredients: (makes 2)

• Mortadella - 1/2 pound sliced
• Salami - 1/2 pound sliced
• Hot Capicola - 1/2 pound sliced
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Now, I opted for Mozzarella because it's the cheesiest and I like things to be ooey and gooey.  My husband also prefers this cheese.  If I were making this for just me, I would be using sliced of provolone, since that's what really goes into an Italian sub.
• And of course, dough, 2 balls

Let's Play:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees, place rack in center
• Roll out the dough, using flour so it doesn't stick.  You want it in a rectangle shape.  I made mine probably 12" x 18" - didn't really measure it, just guessing.
• Once rolled out start with the mortadella, lay it out, one slice on the other the long way, use half of your stash
• Then layer on the salami, i do a double row so it's the same width as the mortadella
• Then layer on the capicola
• Top it with some mozzarella cheese.
• Fold the left and right sides of the dough in on top of the meat
• This will prevent the cheese from seeping out the sides.  It should all start to look like this:

 

• Start at the bottom and now roll it, like you would a swiss roll.
• Once rolled, place it on a cookie sheet, or a pizza pan, that you've lightly dusted with corn meal so it doesn't stick.
• Repeat this and make a 2nd one. (providing you purchased ingredients enough)
• Place them in the oven for 10 minutes.  At 10 minutes, watch them to make sure they're not burning too much.  Start to gauge whether you "think they are done" - and just cook them maybe 2 minutes longer if you don't believe it's cooked through.

Sauce:

• While the stromboli is cooking there for 10 minutes  you may find yourself bored, so make this quick dipping sauce for them.
• 4oz can of plain tomato sauce
• Dump into a small sauce pan
• Add to it - garlic salt, basil, oregano - be generous here, it's a  flavorful sauce so you want them to really come through. 
• Bring to simmer and let simmer for the 10 minutes.  Taste, if not flavorful enough, add more Basil and garlic salt.

Slice the stromboli with a serrated  knife, not pressing down too hard, let the knife do its cutting.
Put sauce in a bowl, place stromboli around the bowl on your plate.
This makes a great appetizer for a party, it even makes a good meal if it's just 4 of you.

I Could Eat a Whole Bag of Mozzarella Cheese

It's pizza night at our house.  For a while we were doing every Thursday.  Changing things up now due to scheduling conflicts on Thursdays.  I grew up in a household where mom cooked dinner every night.  But dad, dad could make pizza.  And THAT was awesome.  We (my sister and I) would stand about the kitchen as he pulled and prodded and tossed and turned.  Sauce would flow and the mozzarella cheese was endless.  It would come out of the oven all hot and ooey gooey.  Many a tongue was burnt since we dove right in anxious to get the first bite of cheesy goodness.

Now that I have a household of my own, I pass this tradition down.  Kassidy doesn't like sauce.  No pizza sauce, no spaghetti sauce.  A blog for another time.  So, the solution was to make pizza rather than buy it.  But isn't pizza hard to make?  You ask.  But what about the dough?  You ask.  This my friends is pizza in 15 minutes or less.  By no means gourmet, but hey, let's play!  And for you parents out there, this is a great way to get the kids involved!  They can help at ever single step.

• Pre-heat your oven to 475 degrees, NOW, do not put the pizza in until it's 475
• Pizza dough - where can you get this?  Well, your local grocery store of course.  You didn't know that?  Yep, usually in the deli section "somewhere" - and most places do regular "white" dough, as well as wheat options.  I like the wheat, it tends to crisp up more.  But we usually just do the white.
• Now, if you want this dinner to take more preparation and longer than 15 minutes, this is where you can divert from the recipe.  Dough, cold, directly out of the store bag will work, just fine.  It makes a "heavy" crust, you can get it crisp.  But if you like a light and fluffy crust, you'll want to let this sit out for a bit.  Get a bowl, spray it with your cooking spray of choice, place the dough in, turn it once to coat both sides, cover it with a towel, and let it sit.  On the counter.  Don't worry, it's going to be fine.
• Ok, so we got the dough.  Give it a good splash of flour so it's got a light dusting on all surfaces.  Stretch it, toss it, roll it out.  Have fun.  Get it into a circle if you have circle pans, put it in a rectangle for cookie sheets.  I use 14" round pans I got at a certain W-mart store for $12 each.  LOVE them.  Before you put the dough on, give it a few shakes of corn meal.  Don't have cornmeal, give it a light dusting of flour.
• With the dough on the pan, move onto sauce.  I use plain old, no ingredients, store brand tomato sauce.  Small can, what is that like 4oz?  Spoon it out in the quantity you desire.
• Now, we play.  Spices!  Think ITALIAN. - Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Onion Powder, Garlic Salt - sprinkle high for even coating.  (Kids LOVE doing this)
• Cheese... Oh Cheese, how do I love thee, let me count the ways...... Mozzarella and lots of it.  I load it on.  You'd think I was having cheese with some dough rather than dough with cheese.  Oh yes, the ooey-ist and gooey-ist.  Often, I find that adding some cheddar, monterrey jack, provolone, parmessan... oh yes, cheese, I love you.  {drooooool}  Anyhow, load your cheese on.
• Toppings!  Time to play again.  Load it up.  Broccoli, pepperoni, mushrooms, chicken, pineapple, ham, linguini, peppers/onions... a blog for another time again... but choose your favorite and put it on.
• Oven - remember do NOT put it in if the oven isn't full 475 degrees.
• 10 minutes, don't open the door until the buzzer goes off.  And even then, don't open it, turn the light on and look at it.  Did the dough rise? Is it a golden brown color?  No?  Give it just 2 more minutes?  How about now?  no?  1 minute.  Keep watching it and pull when you think it's done.
• Cutting board, pizza slicer, put the slices back on the hot pan to keep them warm.
• Add your favorite cold beverage to a glass.
• Yum.
  
  This is our 1/2 cheese no sauce, 1/2 mushroom extra cheese pizza from tonight.