Friday, February 25, 2011

Savory Experimentation

I have ideas swimming in my head; all food-related all the time. I spend countless hours browsing food blogs, food blog aggregate sites, kitchenware sites, chef blogs etc etc etc. (Chefs are my rockstars, I would be speechless to meet someone like Joël Robuchon but that's another story for another time.) I don't recommend browsing food sites on an empty stomach though - crazy cravings are due to set.


One of the things I really miss from back home is good pizza. Don't get me wrong, California-style pizza is good in its own right but there are days when I just want a slice of crispy thin crust, oozing w. bubbling mozzarella w. just the right amount of red sauce. "NY-style" pizza here is just not the same. So my pattern for food that remind me of home is to just make it at home because I know I will never be satisfied with what is served to me at a restaurant.


The craving of the moment was calzones. Calzones are like pizza pockets/turnovers. Think of it as an Italian dumpling... The size can range from palmful to faceful & the stuffing combinations are endless, sauce inside or sauce on the side. I personally prefer sauce on the side. With the idea of calzones planted I set out for the grocery store to buy supplies when another craving set - sausage & peppers. Supplies in tow, I went home to prep. 


In order to lighten it up a bit I chose to make a whole wheat pizza dough recipe. I sliced some onions & bell pepers, chopped some garlic, threw it all in a pan w. some oil & left it alone until the onions carmelized a bit. Sliced up some smoked spicy sausage & warmed it up in a pan. I portioned out the dough into 4 & rolled out the dough & assembled my lunch in the not too distant future... took a small baking pan & lined it w. some foil, sprinkled some cornmeal & placed the pocket of goodness on top. I cut a couple air vents in the top (otherwise the crust would balloon from steam while baking) & brushed the top w. a little bit of oil.


calzone with a side of roasted garlic tomato sauce

mangia!

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