Classic Calzone

So you're itching for a calzone. I mean, who isn't?

Put the phone down. Forget about the menu. Do you really need all of that extra grease and salt?

But listen to me, and listen closely: You can make the calzones yourself. I swear to Baby Jesus.

Just buy the pizza dough. I mean, honestly, you should always have some balls of pizza dough rolling around your freezer for moments like this.

And for the love of god make the pizza sauce. It's easy. See the recipe below. It tastes way way way better than that jarred mess in your cupboard and it has none of the chemicals or salt. You can just throw in a pinch of salt, and it tastes fab. Trust me!

 Below is my classic calzone, but you can always put your own spin on this with additional fillings. For the meats: Prosciutto, pepperoni, well drained and already cooked sausage. For veggies, you could do some baby spinach or fresh chopped tomatoes or some sautéed bell peppers. Just remember, a little goes a long way in a calzone because the star of the show is the cheese. I don't mess with the traditional trifecta of ricotta, mozzarella and parmigiano, but you do you, Boo.

Here's a link to my wild and crazy calzone: Spinach and Tomato Three Cheese Calzones.

And here's my classic way below:

Classic Calzones
Makes 4

1 ball pizza dough
15 ounces ricotta cheese, room temperature
1 cup fresh mozzarella, diced
1/2 cup grated parmigiano cheese
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil or both
Salt and pepper to taste
Pizza sauce, warmed (Recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly grease one or two baking sheets. (I prefer two.) Cooking time will be longer, if you use two sheets.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmigiano, minced garlic, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Combine gently with a spoon. Set aside

On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into four equal portions. Roll into balls. Roll out balls into four even circles with a rolling pin. Flip the dough and add a sprinkle of flour as needed so that it doesn't stick.

Dividing the filling evenly among four portions, spread the filling onto half of each dough circle and leave a 1/4-inch border of dough around the filling.

Gently fold over the remaining half of the dough to cover the filling. Fold the edge to seal in the filling, pinching with your fingers or a fork.

Place calzones on baking sheets. Gently prick the dough with the tines of a fork.  Brush the calzones with a little olive oil.

Bake the calzones for 18-25 minutes or until golden brown. If using two baking sheets, flip the sheets halfway while baking.

Serve with warmed pizza sauce. Recipe below:

Pizza sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (I like Cento)
6 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. oregano
Handful of shredded fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil. Add garlic, red pepper and oregano. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper and basil. Bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Recipe may be doubled, and remaining portions may be frozen for later use.

Caesar salad is a great side with the calzones!

Sheet Pan Shenanigans

I'm not one to  jump on trends: I read novels five years after they are on the best seller list. I generally loathe the hit single on any Billboard 100 album. And, I have emphatically shunned the hot fashion must-haves for all of my years: Bodysuits - Nah. Doc Martens - No. Trucker hats - Gag. Cold-shoulder tops - Next!

But this sheet pan dinner business. This, dear cooking friends - I tried. And I'm only like a year or two behind. Yay! Now, I'm not saying all of these sheet pan recipes rock my world, but Greek Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner with Green Beans and Feta has totally won my heart. And The Husband and The Boy ate a whole bunch of it, so it will be made again, trust.

I'm not going to lie. I was skeptical. You see, while I am a totally creative artistic type, my mathematical and science prowess comes into play in many aspects of my day-to-day. Especially with cooking, I'm always trying to see the logic of the recipe or method at hand. I think that helps it work out well. The difference between food you want to eat, eat and eat again and food that is ick nast has a lot to do with planning, logic and reasoning.

The proposition that different sizes and shapes of food can cook all at once evenly in the same vessel seems to defy reason. Surely, this would fail! 

But this sheet pan recipe totally works. Thank you, Food52, for opening my eyes.

Conclusion: The chicken was tender and cooked through; the string beans were done but not overdone; the potatoes were just right.  And the flavor was banging. If you dig Greek food, check this out!

My tips: Be sure to cut your potatoes small. I cut back on the salt measurement because I find olives and feta to be high in their saltiness. To prep things ahead, you can clean your string beans and mix up the marinade the day before. Do not cut your potatoes ahead; however, because they will discolor.

I served this with a hummus platter, featuring homemade hummus, veggies and pita.

Greek Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner with Green Beans and Feta

Serves 6
By Food 52

Ingredients:

• 1 pound baby Dutch yellow potatoes
• 1 pound green beans
• 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 ¹/₂ lemons (1 1/2 juiced, and 1 sliced)
• 8 cloves garlic (4 minced, and 4 sliced)
• 4 ounces feta cheese (sheep or goat's milk preferred!)
• 1 large onion
• 2 teaspoons salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (plus more for garnish)
• 12 pitted Kalamata olives
• Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cut each chicken breast into 4-5 even-sized strips.
• In a large bowl add the chicken pieces, lemon juice from one whole lemon, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp. salt, pepper and paprika, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Mix together well and set bowl aside while you prepare the veggies.

• Rinse beans, snip off the end with the hard nub/stem and place them in another large bowl. The other end should have a dainty little tail that is soft and thin and doesn't need to be removed.

Chop one large yellow onion and add to the beans.

Rinse (and scrub if needed) the baby potatoes and add to the veggie bowl.

Stir in one 15-ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, juice from half a lemon, oregano, 1 tsp. salt and pepper and 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Pour the mixture onto a large baking sheet, add the chicken pieces (spaced evenly throughout the pan), some lemon slices, 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, about a dozen pitted Kalamata olives and roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Pull the pan out from the oven but don't remove. Crumble 4 ounces of feta cheese and sprinkle onto the sheet pan and continue to cook for 5 more minutes or until the chicken reads 165 degrees with a meat thermometer.

Serve while it's hot and garnish with chopped parsley.

Note: Use a non-stick 12 by 17 baking pan. Depending on the pan you use you may want to line it with parchment paper or tin foil. 

Please note from Jersey Girl: I trimmed both sides of my string beans.

Escarole and Bean Soup

Here's a recipe for one of the easiest soups to make in the world: Escarole and Bean Soup. The biggest burden is cleaning the escarole. I recommend filling a large bowl with water. Remove the core from the escarole by cutting the head in half. Place the half flat on your board. Cut the core out by making a V with your knife. Ditch the core and the dodgy outer leaves. Place the separated escarole leaves in the water. Let rest for about five minutes. Drain in a colander. Repeat, and repeat again. Yes, three times should be the charm.

This soup can be frozen for later usage. It holds up just fine.

Escarole doesn't get all the glory that spinach and kale receive, but it is packed with vitamins and it works really well in soups. Plus, it totally reminds me of my amazing grandmother, so yeah, it's a winner in my book.

Escarole and Bean Soup
Makes 6-8 servings

1 medium head of escarole, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 19 ounce can Cento cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 inch piece of prima donna or parmigiano cheese
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat up olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about three minutes.

Add escarole. Let escarole wilt for about five minutes.

Add the beans, broth, water, cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer partially covered for 20-30 minutes. Serve with grated cheese. A drizzle of olive oil and some bread are also really nice with this.

Pork Chops Alla Pizzaiola

Pork Chops all Pizzaiola is the perfect din for a weeknight. It may not be easy to pronounce, but is totally easy to make.

The dish requires few ingredients, and all are items that I usually have on hand.

Pizzaiola means "in pizza style." Usually, steak is the meat of choice, but we don't eat a lot of red meat up in here so this recipe works for us.

The recipe calls for bone-in pork chops, but I often use boneless. It works just fine with either.

If you don't have Herbes de Provence on hand, you could easily substitute Italian seasoning.

This is super nice to serve with rice and a big salad or sautéed spinach. It's also easy to double, which is what I usually do.

Pork Chops alla Pizzaiola
(4 servings)
From "Giada's Family Dinners" by Giada DeLaurentiis

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4-inch-thick bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (about 12 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp. crushed dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add 2 pork chops to the skillet and cook until they are browned and an instant read meat thermometer inserted horizontally into the chop registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Transfer the pork chops to a plate and tent with foil to keep them warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 pork chops, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Add the onions to the same skillet and saute over medium heat until crisp-tender, about five minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, herbes de Provence and 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend and the juices thicken slightly, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and more red pepper flakes if you like it spicier. Return the pork chops and any accumulated juices from the plate to the skillet and turn the pork chops to coat with the sauce. Heat until warmed through, a minute or so; do not overcook the chops.

Place one pork chop on each plate. Spoon the sauce over the pork chops. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used thick boneless pork chops instead of bone-in chops.

Stop and Make a Lovely Puffy Pancake

Ahhhh, a proper breakfast.

It's such a luxury to sit down to homemade pancakes or fluffy scrambled eggs when your kid(s) are school age and weekends are chockful of schlepping to this field or that practice. Honestly, I don't know how all y'all do it with more than one offspring in 10 activities every freaking day of the week. God bless.

These days, I do cherish an action-free Saturday when I can rock out an amazing breakfast spread. On Sundays, this momma works.  So, if a fancy schmancy brunch is happening here chances are it is a Saturday.

This Dutch Baby Pancake - aka the Gigantic Fluffy Pancake (that's what me and my little guy call it) - is a total win. The recipe is from "Cravings" by Chrissy Teigen. If you like to read cookbooks like novels (cover to cover), buy this book. It's hysterical. And most of the recipes I've made have rocked. (I wasn't a fan of the mushroom soup. It was the texture. Sorry, Chrissy.)

The Dutch Baby, though. Baby, this one is a keeper. You mix it all up in the blender. It's cooked in one pan. Popped in the oven. Meanwhile, you can down your coffee while it cooks up and you try to interact with people before noon. Eek. (My night owl habits will never die despite trying to act like a responsible bright-eyed and bushy-tailed momma. Deal with it.)

When you unveil the cooked Dutch Baby from the oven, it is a like a magnificent disformed thang of delicious beauty.

The visual and the smell are astounding. For reals. It will deflate slightly upon cooling.

You can serve this dish with a bunch of fruit. Whipped cream and syrup are fab too. We like it with powdered sugar and strawberries. Really, whatever floats your boat!

Here ya go:

Dutch Baby Pancake
From "Cravings"
By Chrissy Teigen
Serves 4

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter melted, plus softened butter for serving
Pancake syrup
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a blender, combine the flour, eggs, milk, salt and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and blend until smooth with no lumps, 20 to 30 seconds.

In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over high heat until foamy. Add the batter and immediately put the skillet in the oven. Bake until the outside of the pancake is puffed and a deep golden color (it will puff up in a bit of a crazy, disorganized way, so don't worry), 17 to 18 minutes.

Remove from the oven, slather with the softened butter and cut into quarters.  Pour syrup over the pancake slices and dust with powdered sugar.

Pasta e Fagioli

This cold dreary March is proving we still need some comfort food. The perfect solution: Pasta e Fagioli.

For best results, let it simmer for a long time. Give it like 45 minutes. And most importantly, cook the pasta in a separate pot of water. That way, all the wonderful broth isn't soaked up by the spongelike qualities of teeny tiny pasta.

Pancetta is an Italian bacon. In my opinion, it's not as fatty and bacony as American bacon. You can purchase it at Italian grocery stores, but even my good ole' Shoprite carries it. I like to buy a pound of it sliced and store it in the freezer. I just take out a couple of slices when I need them for a dish.

Pasta e fagioli is fabulous topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of parmigiano. Serve with bread and vino, of course!

Pasta e Fagioli
Makes 8 servings

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 slices pancetta, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 19 ounce can Cento cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 inch piece of Parmigiano cheese rind (optional)
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 cups water
1 cup ditalini, tubetti or elbow pasta

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pancetta. Stir frequently and cook until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, remove pancetta to a small dish.

To the soup pot, add onion, carrots and celery. Stir to coat in oil. Add, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic. Cook for another minute or two.

Add cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, broth and water. Return pancetta to pot. Add parmigiano cheese rind, if using. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cook partially covered for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Fill a separate small pot with water. Bring to a boil and add salt. Cook pasta as directed on package instructions. Drain pasta.

Once soup has finished cooking after 45 minutes, add pasta.

Serve in bowls topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of grated parmigiano cheese.

Please note: You may need to add more water if you would like the soup more brothy.

Marinated Mozzarella

This is the time of year people start thinking about their showstopping party aps for the Super Bowl. Ok, well maybe not everybody. But the Jersey Girl totally does. I mean honestly, the only thing I care about during the Super Bowl is the food and the half-time show.

Marinated Mozzarella is my go-to. I've been making this literally for a million years. Well, maybe 15, but ….same thing!

I like to serve my marinated mozzarella with toasted garlic baguette, prosciutto, sliced tomato or grape tomatoes and some basil. But you can do whatever you please and it's perfectly rockin' on its own atop your fave cracker.

Your guests will love it no matter what!

Marinated Mozzarella with Garlic Toasts
(Makes 24 servings)

For the mozzarella:
2 to 3 medium balls of fresh mozzarella, drained and sliced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add olive oil. Whisk until well blended. Place mozzarella slices in the bowl. Gently fold mozzarella into oil and herb mixture. Let mozzarella rest for at least an hour at room temperature. Stir occasionally.

For the Garlic Toasts:
1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 long loaf of crusty Italian bread or French baguette

Preheat broiler.

Slice bread with a serrated knife. Rub each slice with garlic on both sides. Place on a baking sheet. Toast under the broiler for a minute or two. Flip slices to toast both sides. Keep a watchful eye on your broiler!

Serve mozzarella and toasts with thinly sliced prosciutto, fresh basil and tomato slices or grape tomatoes, if in season.