Make Me A Pizza – Meatball Calzone

When my children Jacob and Ariana were little, they used to spend a good amount of time hanging out in our bed. They would come on in the morning if we didn’t have to move too fast, especially on weekends. They might watch a little TV there or play a game in the afternoon. And Marci would read to them in our bed, usually for at least 45 minutes every evening, before they went to their own rooms to sleep. I would have loved to have read to my children, but moments after I started, the words would slur, my head would slump, and I would fall asleep. “Mom! Dad is sleeping again. Can you read to us?” they pleaded. I couldn’t help myself.

Although reading to Jacob and Ari was rarely in my repertoire, I was the chef in the family and so when they were hanging out on our bed and ordered “make me a pizza,” this I could do.

I started by adding the ingredients to make dough. I would pretend to dump flour, yeast, and water on their little bodies. They would start giggling. Next, the dough must be kneaded, so I smushed them into the pillows, gently of course, their laughing getting louder. We would have to rest for a moment to let the dough rise…and let them catch their breath. Then I stretched the dough by lightly patting on them, picking them up, and tossing them in the air like a true pizzaiolo. They howled with delight. Tomato sauce and cheese were added, which I applied with tickles on their face, neck, and under their arms. They squirmed and squealed, but we weren’t finished. They got to choose toppings – pepperoni, onions, sausage, whatever they wanted. And then I picked them up and hurled them in the oven consisting of blankets and pillows. This gave us another respite while the dough cooked and the cheese melted. Finally, when the pizza was done, out it came, hot and steamy, and I cut it, fast slices across the chest with the side of my hand. And then I would eat, nibbling on fingers and toes with kisses all about the face.

They loved it. Starting at four and six years old, the pizza making game lasted a couple of years. I would get Jacob and Ari all riled up and then Marci would read to them, calming them down before bed.

Eventually I got them to help me in the kitchen making real pizza. Sometimes it was a traditional red sauce pie. Then the pizza got fancier. Pesto pizza with fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Mashed potato pizza, salty and garlicky, was Jacob’s favorite. And a pie topped with caramelized onions, Kalamata olives, and cherry tomatoes, with never enough olives for Ari. These became family classics. Occasionally I’d try other ideas as well – green pizza, a take on white pizza, with pesto mixed into the creamy ricotta, and a mushroom, goat cheese, and fontina pie when we wanted something truly savory.

At some point for Jacob’s birthday we even threw a pizza-making party. We invited his friends, each to make their own small pie. They stretched out the dough as best they could, which was pretty funny for kids of that age, before smearing on sauce and sprinkling on cheese. They picked toppings of their choice, and we cooked them right then and there for each kid to enjoy. More blob-shaped than round, the kids were happy.

It goes without saying that we all like eating pizza, whether at one of the many local pizza restaurants near our home or homemade, crispy, hot, and fresh out of the oven. But nothing was as fun and elicited as favorable a response as when my children demanded to “make me a pizza.”

Meatball Calzone

A calzone is not much more than a pizza folded in half and stuffed rather than topped with ingredients. I first made vegetarian broccoli calzone when in college, using the Moosewood Cookbook recipe as a guide. But over time I stopped making them as I didn’t want to take the time and effort to make dough. Now I buy dough from a local pizza restaurant or even the supermarket, which makes homemade calzone easier than ever. However, be aware that doughs from different locations vary in the amount of oil in them. Ones with lots of oil do not seal as well when assembling the calzone.

Here I stuff my calzone with meatballs in addition to ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses, along with a small amount of tomato sauce. I find that too much tomato sauce makes the insides soupy and the dough soggy, so I limit what goes inside and serve extra on the side. I use meatballs because I almost always have a bag in my freezer ready to call into action at a moment’s notice. But cooked, crumbled sausage, breaded chicken cutlets, or vegetables like broccoli or spinach would all work just fine, as long as most of the liquid is cooked or squeezed out so the dough is not damp and can crisp up.

And calzone freeze well after they’ve been cooked and cooled. To reheat: defrost, then warm in the microwave. After that, a few minutes in a hot oven, toaster oven, or air fryer will let the outside become crunchy.

makes 2 calzone, about 1 hour

for the tomato sauce:

1-28 oz. can good quality whole peeled tomatoes, drained

1 clove garlic, grated or pressed

1 Tbsp. olive oil

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. sugar, if needed

4 to 5 fresh basil leaves, minced

for the calzone:

1 pizza dough – roughly 1½ lbs.

8 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese

8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded

5 to 6 – 1½-inch meatballs, cut in half or broken into roughly ½-inch pieces

1 to 2 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shredded

1 egg

black and white sesame seeds, optional

1. Make the tomato sauce by pulsing drained whole peeled tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and salt in a food processor until broken down and smooth. Place the sauce in a pot and simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Taste and add sugar if needed. When done stir in minced basil and set aside to cool.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425 ^oF.
3. Divide dough in half. Use your hands to flatten each piece of dough into rounds, each about 11 or 12 inches in diameter.
4. Smear 4 or 5 tablespoons of the ricotta cheese on the lower half of each round, leaving a ¾-inch border. Sprinkle one quarter of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta on each round and top with half of the meatballs, making sure to keep a border. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce over each pile and then top with remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
5. Working with one round at a time, carefully fold the top of the dough over the filling, but not all the way to the bottom of the round. You will want to be able to flip the lower edge of the dough slightly over the upper edge to seal it. Starting at one corner of the half-moon lift the lower edge of the dough and pull it over the top edge all around and pinch periodically to seal. Continue with this motion all the way around the half-moon until you reach the other corner.
6. Carefully lift each calzone and place them on the parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving at least an inch in between.
7. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Brush over the entire top and sides of each calzone. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Using a sharp knife, make two or three one-inch-long slashes on top of each calzone to let out steam while baking.
8. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake until calzone are golden brown on top and bottom. Adjust position of sheet pan in the oven as needed, as the bottom will cook quicker if it is lower in the oven and the top quicker if it is near the top.
9. Serve hot with extra sauce on the side.

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