Sausage and Three Cheese Calzones

My crew love anything wrapped in dough... and by my crew, I mean me.


Sausage and Three Cheese Calzones
adapted from here
Makes 8

For the Dough:
1 cup warm water
4 teaspoons (2 sachets) dried yeast
4 cups "00" flour
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons olive oil

For the Filling:
15g (1 tablespoon) butter
1 onion, finely diced
500g (1 pound) pork sausages, removed from their casings and meat crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
400g (15 oz) fresh ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
2 eggs, plus 1 egg extra for glazing
1/2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsely
2 tablespoons shredded basil leaves

For the Tomato Sauce:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife
700ml tomato passata
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste

Make the Dough:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, place the water and yeast and set it aside for 5 minutes until foamy. Add the flour, salt and oil and mix on low for about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead briefly until smooth. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and set aside for about 1 hour, until doubled in sized.

Make the Filling:
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes. Add the sausage meat and cook until brown and starting to crisp a little at the edges, Add the oregano, fennel and chilli flakes. Remove from the heat, and lift it out the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to cool. Discard any excess oil in the pan.

In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley and basil. Set aside.

Make the Tomato Sauce:
Pour the oil into a large pan and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and fry until golden (a couple of minutes). Pour in the tomato passata and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, add the sugar and salt and pepper and cook for 20 minutes, until thick and rich. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Set aside to cool.

Make the Calzones:
Heat the oven to 200C (400F). Line two baking sheets with baking paper. Set aside.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and on a lightly floured work surface, roll each ball into a circle.

Put the extra egg into a small bowl and beat well with 1 teaspoon water (egg wash).

Spoon some of the cheese mixture onto one half of each circle of dough and then spoon some of the sausage mixture on top. Brush the edges of  dough with egg wash and fold the dough over to create a semi-circle, pressing the edges down to seal the filling in. Cut off any excess dough, crimp the edges and brush the tops with egg wash.

Place the calzones onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until golden. Serve with the tomato sauce on the side.