Veggie Calzones

A bit of everything went into these. All the fillings can be made well ahead and then assembled at the last.


For The Dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons dry regular yeast (not instant)
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 cups bread flour (strong flour)
Egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water for wash

Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar. When foamy, add salt, oil, and two cups of the flour. Beat well with a wooden spoon. Add additional flour a cup at a time until you have a dough that is no longer sticky and can be kneaded until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down, divide in fourths. Let stand 10 minutes before rolling each out into a thin rectangle. Proceed to assemble with filling below.

Fillings:

I used a number of fillings layered in for a nice effect. Any or all of these would work.

For the cheese layer:

2 cups cottage cheese drained and sieved.
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
Black pepper
Mix all together, and chill until ready to use.

For the Carrots:

6 carrots, peeled and finely sliced on the diagonal
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
Salt/pepper

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the carrots and cook until softened. In last two minutes of cooking, add the garlic. Adjust salt/pepper. Chill until ready to use.

For the Mushrooms:

heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a pan with 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Add 1/2 lb. mushrooms thinly sliced. Cook over high heat until browned. Remove and chill until needed.

For the spinach:

cook 1 block frozen spinach, then drain and squeeze dry in a dishcloth. Chill until needed.

Put It All Together:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.

Roll out sections of dough one at a time. It should be no more than 1/4 inch thick. In the centre, begin layering the fillings ending with carrots at the top. This will become the bottom and the carrots are the sturdiest of the fillings. Fold and pinch closed. Invert onto baking sheet. Pierce top with a sharp knife to vent. Brush with egg wash. Bake about 30 minutes or until deeply golden. They may run some liquid out as they bake-this is OK. When done, remove them to a rack to cool slightly, but place another baking sheet beneath to catch any drips. leftovers can be stored in foil and re-heated in a hot oven for ten minutes. They do not take well to microwaving.