Killer Calzones (Bacon, Sausage and Four Cheeses)

Bacon, sausage and four (count ‘em 4!) ooey, gooey CHEESES! These beauties may spoil you for delivered pizza. If you have any leftover, wrap tightly in foil and then store in a zip top bag in your freezer. The perfect antidote to “I’ve had a really long day and I’m not cooking!”

Ingredients (serves 8):

6 strips of bacon

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

¾ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

1 cup chopped mushrooms

5 cups chopped fresh spinach, kale or Swiss chard

1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup fresh mozzarella, diced

½ cup provel cheese, diced (if you don’t have it, just use more mozzarella)

2 teaspoons garlic salt

Extra salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

3 small balls of prepared pizza dough (sorry, the package doesn’t say how much they weigh; I’d guess about 6 ounces each)

A few Tablespoons milk for brushing the tops of the calzones

Extra grated parmesan for sprinkling over the tops of the calzones

Prepared pizza sauce for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook until brown. Drain off any excess fat.

Toss the onions, garlic, mushrooms and leafy greens into the pan. Cook until the veggies are soft and fragrant, but not brown (about 5 minutes). Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.

Add the ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, provel and garlic salt to the pan and mix thoroughly. Crumble the bacon and add it to the mixture. Taste the filling (my favorite part) and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Knead the three pizza dough balls together slightly and then divide it into 8 portions and roll each out into a circle (however thick or thin you want) on a floured surface. Don’t stress about the shape or if they are all the same size. This is home cooking. Divide the sausage mixture between the dough circles putting it on one side only, leaving about a 1 inch border around the edge. Fold the dough over and fold up the edges of the half circles to completely seal the filling in the dough. Place on 2 parchment lined baking sheets and brush the tops with milk. Sprinkle on a little grated parmesan. Cut a few vent holes in the tops of the calzones and bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve with pizza sauce. 

Creamed Kale

Talk about a great side dish! I love how this came together. It’s easy, quick and low fat—a great alternative to creamed spinch.

Ingredients (serves 2-3 as a side dish):

1 ½ cups fat free half and half

3 ounces light cream cheese

2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 piece of parmesan rind (if you have one in your freezer)

2 teaspoons canola oil

¼ cup chopped shallot

5 cups chopped kale, packed tightly

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Heat the half and half and cream cheese together in a skillet over medium heat until cream cheese is melted. Add in the garlic cloves, nutmeg and parmesan rind if using. Cook, whisking often, for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and remove the garlic and parmesan rind.

Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the shallot and cook 2 minutes or until the shallot is soft but not brown. Add in the kale and cook, stirring, until the kale wilts down.

Pour the half and half mixture over the kale, stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Crisp Rice and Chickpea Pancakes with a Spiced Potato Filling

I am very fortunate to have lots and lots of veggies in the house right now and I wanted to cook with spices. Particularly, I wanted to make Indian Dosas because I saw a picture and, even though I had never had one, I needed them. I did a little reading and realized that I am not even slightly capable of the intricacy and art of the cooks who make these every day. So, I came up with what I thought might be a good substitute. Definitely not as beautiful as Dosas, but wonderful all the same. These pancakes have a crispy outer layer and a great nutty taste. The filling is so incredibly good. Try serving these with Jackfruit Chutney, Minted Yogurt with Lime Zest or your favorite condiment.

Ingredients (serves 6-8 with some potato filling left over):

For the filling:

2 teaspoons canola oil or ghee (clarified butter)

½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds

2 teaspoons curry powder

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

½ cup vegetable stock

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Salt to taste

For the pancakes:

1 cup white rice powder

1 cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground fenugreek (optional)

2 ½ cups of water or enough to make the batter thin (I mean like a runny batter)

1-2 Tablespoons of canola oil or ghee, divided

Directions:

For the filling:

Heat the oil or ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the mustard seeds, curry powder, cumin, and ginger and gram masala. Cook for 3 minutes or until the spices are fragrant. Add in the garlic and the onion and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the onion is soft. Add in the potatoes (both kinds) and stock. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring often, for about 35 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough for you to easily smash against the side of the pan with a fork. Go ahead, smash some of them. You want a nice, chunky and dry filling here. Add in the peas and remove from heat. Keep warm.

For the pancakes:

Whisk together all ingredients except water. Then, slowly add the water until you have a consistency like crepe batter or thin pancake batter. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Stir and check the consistency again, adding more water if you need to. You want a very, very thin batter.

Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil or ghee in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Ladle in one small portion of the pancake batter and spread it to make an even layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden. Flip the pancake and cook the other side another 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining batter, using the rest of the oil or ghee as needed.

Assembly: Place one pancake in a warm nonstick skillet and spread some of the potato filling on one side. Fold the pancake over, pat down the top and cook for just a minute to warm through (Note: you could also roll these up like a burrito by placing the filling in the center and then putting each side of the pancake over the middle and flipping to ‘seam side down’ to warm through).

Serve with Jackfruit Chutney and Minted Yogurt with Lime Zest or whatever other condiment you would like.

Minted Yogurt with Lime Zest

A simple and cooling condiment to pair with spicy food.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain yogurt (any kind you like)

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, minced

½ teaspoon fresh lime zest

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld before using. 

Jack Fruit Chutney

Here is a chutney to relish (get it?). A few months back I was trying to find canned jack fruit for a recipe my sister in law gave me. I finally found some at an international grocery store and quickly snapped it up. When I got it home, I realized that what I bought was sweetened jack fruit, not the unsweetened kind needed for the recipe. The jack fruit has been waiting patiently for me ever since.

This is a wonderful chutney—tangy, slightly sweet and filled with warm spices. There are a million uses for this—put some out next to a wheel of Brie and some crackers at your holiday party (hello, make ahead recipes!). Serve alongside some baked chicken. Mix a few spoonfuls with mayo for a great sandwich spread. Serve with Indian food. Do what you will with this easy and versatile relish.

Ingredients (makes about 4 cups):

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon whole mustard seed

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch of ground coriander

Pinch of ground cloves

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (or any other chile, chile powder/paste/sauce that you like)

¼ cup red bell pepper, diced

1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored and diced

2 cans (20 ounces each) jack fruit in syrup, drained and diced

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup white vinegar

Directions:

Heat the oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add in the mustard seed, turmeric powder, cardamom, coriander and cloves. Cook and stir one minute until fragrant. Add in the ginger and Sambal. Cook for another minute or two. Add in the bell pepper, apple, jack fruit, sugar and vinegar. Cook and stir for another minute or two. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Simmer, stirring often, for about one hour or until the chutney is thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings about halfway through. If you like a smoother chutney, either blend for a minute with an immersion blender or remove one cup and puree in the food processor before returning it to the pan. I used my immersion (also called a stick or a hand blender) for just a minute to smooth the chutney out.

Remove from the heat and let cool. This can be stored for several weeks in the fridge if kept in covered jars.

Best Ever Party Mix

I know, everybody makes party mix. I am tickled that a lot of people have told me mine is the best. There are so many variations of this and they are all great. I like to add a little more umami flavor with soy sauce and really focus on the garlicky flavor. I also do away with those little pretzels, because I've always found that people go for the cereal, nuts and especially the rye chips, leaving the pretzels in the bottom of the bowl. Gotta give the people what they want! By the way, this makes a lot, but trust me, you want this much—it goes so fast!

Ingredients (serves an entire party all evening long):

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine

5 Tablespoons Worcestershire

1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon) garlic salt

4 cups checkerboard rice cereal

4 cups checkerboard corn cereal

4 cups checkerboard wheat cereal

4 cups roasted garlic rye chips

1 (15 ounce) can lightly salted or unsalted mixed nuts

Directions: Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat and then add in the Worcestershire, soy, seasoned salt and garlic salt. Cook , stirring often until all ingredients are combined (about 7 minutes). Taste and adjust seasonings (Note: this will be very salty until it hits the cereal mixture).

While the sauce is cooking, combine the cereals, rye chips and nuts in a large bowl. Pour the warm sauce over the cereal mixture and stir until everything is well coated. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir again. Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets and spread them out as close to one layer as you can (those sheets will be full!). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes and rotating the pans between oven shelves every time you stir.