Calzones and the giant Stromboli for Sunday Night Football

So you want to do pizza for the next football gathering, but you've done the same old pizza over and over and over again.  You need a change.  Well, don't stick with the flat option, fold it over.  You could make calzones or strombolis.  Fill them full of toppings and fold it over or roll them up. Either way, you can create hand-held pocket of goodness that you can dip into a bowl of marinara while you sit down in front of a good Ute game.

Now you can make them any size you want.  Some people prefer the smaller version of the calzone, maybe only 6 inches long, almost the size of a Hot Pocket... I hear Jim Gaffigan off in the distance... Some like making a gigantic one and cutting into pieces.  Same with the strombolis, some like the short, newspaper-looking rollups, some like one large monstrosity that can be sliced into dippable strips.

No matter what you like, they're as easy to make as any other pizza, they just take a little longer to cook.  And each start out with the same ingredients.  So here's how to make each.

Calzones and Strombolis

Serving sizes listed under each option

1 quart pizza sauce (two batches of my sauce)

Enough dough to make 2 12" pizza crusts (one batch of my dough)

1 1/2 - 2 pounds grated mozzarella
Any toppings you like, but have an amount equivalent to what you would put on two 12" pizzas
2 eggs
1 cup water
Basil, oregano or Italian seasoning for decoration

Prepare the sauce and the dough beforehand.  Also slice all vegetable toppings and brown any meats that may need it, like sausage, hamburger, etc.   Crack the eggs into a glass filled with the cup of water and beat until mixed.  Now to the assembly...

Small Calzones

Makes 6-8 small calzones

Separate the dough into 6-8 pieces and stretch each out until you have 6-7" rounds.  Coat one half of the circle with pizza sauce, keeping the edges (about 1/2 inch) clean so we can pinch it closed later. Add the toppings on top of the sauce.  Feel free to pile them on.  Then add about a cup of cheese over the toppings.  Fold the uncovered side over the covered side, stopping short of the bottom edge by about a quarter inch.  Fold the bottom edge up and over the top edge, tucking the top edge under and pinching them together to close the calzone.  Make a few slits on the top of the calzones so the pressure inside of it will vent during cooking.  Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the calzone with the egg wash.  Then sprinkle the Italian spices over the top for decoration.  Place the calzones in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until they turn a golden brown.  Use the leftover sauce for dipping

Large Calzones
Makes 2 large calzones

Separate the dough into two pieces and stretch each out until you have two 12-14" rounds.  Coat one half of the circle with pizza sauce, keeping the edges (about 1/2 inch) clean so we can pinch it closed later. Add the toppings on top of the sauce.  Feel free to pile them on.  Then add about as much cheese as you'd like over the toppings.  Fold the uncovered side over the covered side, stopping short of the bottom edge by about a quarter inch.  Fold the bottom edge up and over the top edge, roll the edges up slightly and pinch them together to close the calzone.  Make a few slits on the top of the calzones so the pressure inside of it will vent during cooking.  Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the calzone with the egg wash.  Then sprinkle the Italian spices over the top for decoration.  Place the calzones in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes or until they turn a golden brown.  Cut it up into sections, strips, or wedges.  Serve with the leftover sauce for dipping.

Small Strombolis

Makes 6-8 small strombolis

Separate the dough into 6-8 balls.  Roll out the dough until you have approximately 6-7 inch squares.  Add sauce to the dough, but leave the outer inch of the crust clean so it can be rolled up later.  Add a layer of toppings, then add a little less than a cup of cheese.  Now to the rolling...  start at one edge and roll to the other.  You can also roll it corner to corner instead or anywhere in between to make them look pretty.  Once rolled, brush with the egg wash and decorate with the Italian seasoning.  Place

Large Strombolis
Makes two gigantic strombolis

Separate the dough into two balls.  Roll out the dough until you have approximately 12-14 inch squares.  Add sauce to the dough, but leave the outer inch of the crust clean so it can be rolled up later.  Add a layer of toppings, then add a little less than a cup of cheese.  Now to the rolling...  Since we're dealing with such a large item, only go from one edge to the other.  Tuck the end under and pinch them closed as well.  Once rolled, place it on a large cookie sheet.  Also, create a small aluminum foil tray around it (to contain spillage just in case it breaks open).  Brush with the egg wash and decorate with the Italian seasoning.  Place in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until it turns golden brown.  Cut into strips or large pieces and serve with the leftover sauce.

So no matter what option you choose, make a big batch for the football friends and get away from the average pizza.