Sausage Calzones

Photo: flickr user mccun934

Ingredients

pound raw Italian sweet sausage casing removed

A drizzle olive oil

2 cups ricotta

A handful flat leaf parsley chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

A handful grated Parmigiano plus extra,

for knots

teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg

(or a couple pinches of ground nutmeg)

A few grinds black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped pimento

2 tubes prepared pizza dough - (10 oz ea)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Garlic oil

(1 or 2 cloves chopped and heated in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil)

2 cups Five Minute Spicy Marinara (see recipe)

(or tomato sauce or pizza sauce) for dipp

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425.

Brown sausage in a small skillet in a drizzle of olive oil. Transfer the cooked crumbled sausage to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Combine sausage with ricotta, parsley, garlic, Parmigiano, nutmeg, pepper, and pimento. Roll out doughs and halve cross-wise. Place a dough rectangle on a nonstick cookie sheet. Use 1/2 cup mozzarella on half of each dough rectangle and pile a mound of filling on half of the total area. Fold dough over and pinch edges to seal. The result is a rectangular turnover.

For half-moon shaped calzones, trim excess dough. Roll dough bits into strips, tie in knots and brush with garlic oil and cheese. Garlic knots are fun to dip at the table.

Bake calzones 15 minutes or until golden all over. Serve calzones with warm tomato, marinara, or pizza sauce for dipping.

This recipe yields 4 calzones.

Cook's

Note: For an additional time saver, 2 packages precooked sausage crumbles, 8 ounces each, may be substituted for raw Italian sausage used in the above recipe.