In Italy, particularly in Naples, most pizzerias sell calzones too.  If you’re not familiar with them, a calzone is a circular pizza crust that’s topped with mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and other pizza toppings, then folded and baked or fried.

Because of their portability, Italian street vendors sell calzones as a take-away lunch.  In sit-down restaurants, they’re often served with a dish of warm marinara sauce for dipping.  Traditional pizza toppings like Italian sausage or pepperoni are often added, as are vegetables like mushrooms and peppers.

Making a calzone is easy. Start with your favorite pizza dough.  Roll it out on a floured surface into a circle that’s about 12″ in diameter.  Depending on the ingredients you use and who you’re feeding, a calzone that size should feed one or two.  If everyone wants to add their own ingredients, make several smaller circles.

Top one side of the dough with about 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.  Add the rest of your toppings, then fold the dough over, created a half-moon shaped pie.  Crimp the edges with a fork, then brush with olive oil or a little egg yolk.  Cut a couple of small vents in the dough.  Then bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

With a molten cheese center and crispy outer crust, calzones are absolutely addictive, and they work well with all sorts of ingredients.  The creaminess of the ricotta cheese makes them different from a pizza — more akin to lasagna.  But you can make a calzone in a fraction of the time.

One of the best Italian-style calzones is stuffed with cooked tiny meatballs and Italian sausage, with marinara sauce on the side.  If you put the sauce inside the calzone, the crust gets soggy.

If you’re not in the mood for Italian, make one with diced ham, grated Cheddar cheese, and some cooked broccoli florets.  Ham is also good with Swiss or Gruyere cheese and caramelized onions.  Or brush the dough with some Dijon mustard, and top with pepperoni, Parmesan, and Gruyere.  Delicious.

Spinach calzones are especially good, and you can make a Greek calzone by using sautéed spinach, feta cheese, and kalamata olives. Serve tzatziki sauce on the side.  Or substitute creamy goat cheese and add some chopped tomato.

For a Reuben calzone, spread Russian dressing on the dough and top with chopped pastrami, grated Swiss cheese and well-drained sauerkraut.   A Mexican calzone might contain ground beef mixed with salsa, Cheddar cheese, black olives, tomatoes, and sour cream.  And a barbecued chicken calzone with barbecue sauce, cooked rotisserie chicken, smoked Gouda cheese, green onions, and cilantro makes a great dinner.

A stromboli is similar to a calzone except that bread dough is used to make stromboli.  The dough is topped and rolled, not folded.  After it’s baked, the stromboli is cut into slices for serving.   It’s often made with the same pizza toppings that are used to make calzones.

The next time you’re planning to make a pizza, but want something a little different, try one of these calzones instead.

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