Eggplant and Three Cheese Calzone (p. 111)

For our first recipe from the book, I choose to make the calzone.  M and I both loved it!  We nearly finished it off that night and it was gone by lunch the next day.

I used my mother's pizza dough recipe taken from Cuisine at Home (thanks mom!):

 Preheat 450

3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups King Arthur unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix and knead all of the ingredients to make a smooth, pliable dough. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll the dough into a 12" circle. Transfer the crust to a piece of parchment (if you're baking on a stone), or a lightly oiled pizza pan, and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

Top the crust as desired, to avoid sogginess, saute any vegetables before using. Bake until the edges are crisp and the sauce or cheese is bubbling, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Over the years, I have modified the recipe as follows: I have been making a 2/3 version of the recipe: with 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 tsp of yeast, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 cups of flour and roughly 2/3rds of the olive oil and baking powder. I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook and I almost always opt for the let it rest for 30 minutes. I also pull it into a 12" circle rather than rolling it.

I baked the eggplant as directed, but as I have a convection oven, I could have taken 5 minutes off of the 30 minutes suggested.  I baked the calzone using parchment paper on a pizza stone for 17 minutes. Again, I tend to set my oven about 25 degrees less than the 425 that was suggested.

 

I was unsure of what the author meant by "strained tomatoes," so I used a 14 oz can of RedPack diced tomatoes which I eventually blended with a stick-blender.  I used the clove of garlic that was suggested and both M and I found it garlicky (not bad, just you'll have garlic breath for awhile).  I also did not add the extra salt.

For dessert, I have been doing a very easy "pie" of crushed graham crackers, fresh fruit and whipped cream (yes, I bought a can of whipping cream).

Overall,  very delicious meal!