It was a rainy gloomy Sunday in London when I decided that the best thing that could occur to my vegetables would be to get wrapped in a yeast-free whole wheat crusty dough. Let it be Calzone!
Allegedly I am a food blogger and as such I’m supposed to describe the recipes I photograph and share on my blog. OK, I’m positive this time.
This is a lazy-ass calzone (which by the way is another Italian funny word for “trouser”) that looks like a bigger empanada and can technically be described as a folded pizza or, as Italians from Napoli would say, closed pizza (=pizza chiusa). To sum up: it’s a type of pizza, closed on itself in a crescent shape.
It tastes great if loaded with stir fried veggies and even better if you are up for some yummy cheese such as ricotta (if you are vegan, mon ami, substitute cheese with whatever you fancy. Just do not add tofu). It is extra easy and quick to make if you skip the yeast and the raising step, like I usually do when I bake with whole wheat flour (yeast never worked effectively to raise my whole wheat dough. Should I bother with long waiting times just for the sake of a modest 0,01% dough raise? Nooo).
It’s a gorgeous, bright day in London today (meaning daylight streams through gaps in clouds). I’m now off to do some grocery shopping (if my comfy couch sets me free) and get ready for one of my last nights out in this glorious city. Any plan for the weekend? I am going to be in the audience of a TV quiz show. I’m already practicing my loud laughter after silly jokes and professional clapping. What about you?
Veggie Whole Wheat Calzone
Whole Wheat Dough
- 1 1/2 wheat flour
- 3/4 water
- 1 tablespoon olive oi
- a pinch of salt
Filling
- 10 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 1/2 cups cabbage (shredded)
- 2 pepper (sliced)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil (plus more to brush the dough)
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- salt and pepper to season
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix the flour and a pinch of salt together in a medium bowl. Add the water and olive oil and mix together with a stiff rubber spatula. Form the dough into a uniform ball in the center of the bowl. The dough will be very sticky at this stage. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the veggies until fragrant, approximately 3 minutes. In a large bowl, combine ricotta and veggie mixture. Add salt, pepper and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on a clean, dry work surface. Scrape the dough onto the floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes. This will make the dough less sticky and easier to roll out.
- Divide the pizza dough into equal sized pieces (2 or more depending on the preferred size of calzones). Shape each piece into a ball and flatten slightly. Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin, adding more flour and turning the dough after each turn to ensure an evenly round disk.
- Fill each dough disk with roughly 1/3 cup of the veggie mixture. Fold the dough over the filling and squeeze both sides together to seal. Repeat until all dough disks have been used. Brush each calzone with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brow.
HI
want to try it but just wondering if that crust is not just dry without the yeast?
Yum what a healthy take on calzones
Daniela! They look awesome. This weekend my Venezuelan friends made empanadas, I’ll have to forward them this filling. When I asked them, whether they also have vegetarian fillings they thought my question didn’t make sense. I’ll forward this recipe 😀
Let me just say how gorgeous are those moody shots!!
Absolutely gorgeous calzones. Love the light on the photos. Stunning!
These veggie calzone look fantastic, Daniela.
They are definitely an all weather treat.
Enjoy your Quiz show and keep practicing your “LOL” 🙂
Only you could make use of gloomy light so beautifully. You are a master of food photography, Daniela!
And calzones are one of my favorite meals but I’ve never tried making one at home. I love the idea of a whole wheat version.
I hope you had fun at the game show! Sounds like a ridiculous and hilarious way to spend your last night. 🙂
This looks so amazing! Love the veggies in it!
I am loving the moody look of these photos Daniela – they are stunning! I’ve never made a calzone before, but it looks delish with all those veggies in there! Have fun at the TV quiz show – that sounds fun!