Stromboli

I have to admit I got this idea off of Martha Stewart... again. I know - I need to quit watching daytime television. They also had a recipe in her Everyday Food magazine - another reminder that I was craving some stromboli. When I mentioned I was making it to Lindsay - she was instantly reminded of how her best friend from middle school - Erin's - mom (I don't know how to properly say that sentence... ) Anyway - I, too, remember one time eating at their house and having this.. So it brings back pleasant memories for Lindsay, and hopefully it will create new ones. How corny is that!
So a little bit about Stromboli... It's very similar to calzones... and you may even feel like you're eating a calzone when you eat this.. but its different in the sense that instead of creating a little "hot pocket" with the pizza dough, you actually roll out the dough.. sprinkle ingredients over it.. and then you roll it up into an oblong log and bake it. So if you're familiar with making like jelly rolls or something to that nature, its a very similar process. Ingredients are limitless - you can use marinara or pesto... ricotta or mozzerella... meat or veggies... You choose!

One of the bonuses of living in my neighborhood is that I have a little Italian market down the street, that sells fresh, homemade mozzerella.. and I have a local pizzeria that will sell you their fresh, unbaked pizza dough. I highly recommend using local ingredients if possible whenever cooking a meal... it just makes things taste better for some reason. I know Lindsay has access to a local pizzeria that sells dough.. I'm sure she's got plenty of cheese shops, too! But I feel like these homemade ingredients are far better than purchasing store bought.

Stromboli
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1lb pizza dough, thawed if frozen
• 1/2c marinara sauce
• 1/2lb fresh mozzerella (or shredded if you can't find fresh)
• Flour for rolling out pizza dough
• Salt & pepper
• Any assortment of ingredients such as these (which are the ones we used):

• broccoli
• mushrooms
• onion
• roasted garlic
• italian sausage
• roasted red peppers
• etc...

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   
2. Divide pizza dough into 4 equal portions. If you feel like the dough you have is a little small, then you may be able to only get 3 portions out of it. With your hands, try and shape each portion into about a 3" by 4" oval. Roll out to try and get it to be about 6" by 8" rectangle. Its ok if its not perfectly this size. If you have trouble rolling it out and it keeps springing back in place (I had this issue!) let the dough rest a few minutes and try again. I eventually gave up and pretty much stretched the dough using my hands. Again, doesn't have to be perfect.
3. Once you have the dough rolled out, spread a couple spoonfuls of marinar sauce over the dough and spread, leaving about a 1/2" border around all the edges. Then sprinkle with your ingredients, trying not to over load it! This is important... keep in mind you will be rolling this up! So used ingredients that were cut into smaller pieces to make the rolling easier. Once you've put your veggies/meat on.. sprinkle the cheese over the top and season with salt and pepper. In order to roll up your stromboli, start with the smaller narrow end and roll, tucking in ingredients as you go. Finish with the seam side down. You don't need to worry about sealing the sides or anything. .. just leave it be. Cut 2 vents in the top to allow steam to escape.
4. Place stromboli on a foil-lined baking sheet OR on a pizza stone if you have one. (When using a pizza stone, I find it best to sprinkle cornmeal over the stone to prevent sticking as well as giving the pizza a nice crispy crunch to it). Place in preheated oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes.. depending on the thickness/size of your stromboli. You want the outside to be nice and brown and crispy. And if you're using a pizza stone, make sure you preheated the stone for at least 20 minutes, too.

If making this for 2 - fear not... leftovers are just as good!

Enjoy!
Submitted by Lauren