Jambalaya Calzone

^K

evin over at Seriously Good made a calzone a few weeks back which got me thinking about these little cousins of the sandwich, the pizza and the Cornish pasty. I'm on a program to use up stuff that's been in the freezer long enough, and a little digging turned up a bag of frozen shrimp, some andouille sausage and a container of Jambalaya Sauce so I was ready to go. A few generous slices of fresh mozzarella, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and we had a nice platterful of spicy calzones for a day of NFL playoffs. (Our team LOST, in the end, but at least we ate well in defeat!) By the way, a great side with these calzones is a big bowlful of my Spicy Coleslaw. And beer. Don't forget the beer...!

Jambalaya Calzones

Makes 4 calzones.

1 recipe Calzone Dough, below
1 recipe Jambalaya Sauce, below
12 large (16-20) shrimp (about 10 oz)
1 andouille sausage (4 oz), sliced thinly
6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 oz Parmeggiano Reggiano, shredded
3 T butter, melted

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat it at least 45 minutes at 425º.

When the dough has completed the first rising, punch down, knead for a minute or two and divide into 4 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a disk about 7" in diameter. Cover the disks and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small sauté pan and heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Throw in the shrimp and toss for 1 minute. Remove to a side plate. When cool, slice each shrimp in half.

Spread sauce generously over 1/2 of each dough disk, leaving a 3/4" margin between the sauce and the edge of the disk. Layer on shredded parmesan cheese, sausage slices, shrimp, and mozzarella slices.

Moisten the dough with water in a half-inch band all around the edge of the disks. Fold the disks in half and press the dough together to form a seal. Use the back end of a knife handle or your fingers to press dimples into the edge.

Bake the calzones on the pizza stone 10 minutes. Brush with the melted butter and reduce the temperature to 375º and bake another 8 or so minutes until the calzones are golden brown.

Serve immediately. 

Calzone Dough

2-1/2 C flour (I use King Arthur all-purpose)
2 tsp SAF instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 T olive oil
warm water (about 110º)
1/4 C Parmeggiano Reggiano, shredded (inspired by Kevin's Calzone Dough recipe)

Place flour, yeast and salt in the food processor fitted with the steel blade. Place the olive oil in a 1-cup measure and add warm water to make 1 cup of liquid. With the processor running, slowly add the liquid. Process, pulsing if necessary, until the dough coalesces into a ball and starts riding around on the blade.  (If after 30 seconds of processing with all the liquid in the bowl the dough doesn't come together, add water by tablespoons until it does.) Turn the dough out on a floured board, knead for about a minute and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.

Jambalaya Sauce

(Adapted from The Gumbo Pages' Jambalaya recipe.)

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 14-oz. can tomatoes
1 C low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
salt, hot sauce, to taste

In a heavy saucepan, sauté the onions, garlic, peppers and celery in oil until onions begin to turn transparent.

Add the tomato paste let it brown a bit, stirring, for a minute or two.

Deglaze the pan with the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to mix up any browned bits, and stir until smooth. The sauce should be fairly thick.

Add the cayenne, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, and tomatoes. Cook over low-medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick. Correct seasoning.

Comments

[Kevin]

Stephen,

That's a great idea.

[David]

A side of Spicy Cajun Coleslaw with that Calzone and I'd be set!

[Ivonne]

That looks delicious, Stephen! Perfect for a cold winter's night (we're freezing here in Toronto!)

As always, my compliments to the chef!

[Cin]

looks great! I've never had jambalaya before.