Recipe: Italian Baked Hamburgers with Cheese - Calzones (using spinach and sundried tomatoes)

ITALIAN BAKED HAMBURGERS WITH CHEESE
(CALAZONES)

1/4 to 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes
Hot water
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp (or less) olive oil
1/2 lb ground beef (ground round or other low fat ground beef)
2 loaves (1 lb. each) pizza dough (or thawed frozen bread dough)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups spinach (wash it and cook it; chop coarsely)
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

TO PREPARE THE FILLING:
Refresh the dried tomatoes in hot water and chop them; set aside.

Crush and saute garlic in olive oil. Add the ground beef; cook. Drain off excess oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Take each loaf of pizza dough or bread dough and cut it into 4 pieces. Pat, roll or stretch each piece into a 6-9-inch circle.

TO FILL AND BAKE THE CALAZONES:
Be sure to keep all filling at least 1/4-inch from the edge or else you will have trouble sealing them.

Place 1-2 tablespoons of meat on half of the dough. Add some tomato bits and spinach. Top with 1 tablespoon cheese and a bit of Parmesan.

Dip your fingers into warm water. Wet the edge of the dough. Stretch half of the dough over the filling and press the edges to seal. Either use your fingers or a fork to seal them. (Or you can roll the bottom edge up over the top edge, twisting them together like a rope around the edge. This method in slightly more time consuming, but the calazones generally don't leak.)

Place calazones on a baking sheet that has been greased or covered with cornmeal. Let them rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes.

Brush lightly with oil.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes.

Makes 8 servings
Source: Anne Louise Gockel, 08-21-91