Monday, August 24, 2009

What Do You Like In Calzones?

I have a buddy who used to deliver pizzas. So of course he has a million stories of the weird stuff people like to eat. The one that always stuck out the most for me was the woman who wanted a steak and cheese calzone with mayonnaise and lettuce. Lettuce. In a calzone. Mayo I can see (if you've never had a steak and cheese with mayo, try it. Seriously.), but lettuce? It would get all soggy and put out a ton of liquid making everything else soggy too, I would think. Plus cooked lettuce (inevitably iceberg, from a pizza shop) is just nasty, in my opinion.

I think my personal favorite calzone is chicken and broccoli. Like this one. I like it best with a good white sauce, but there are other good ways to do it. The one above was made with braised chicken and I took some of the braising liquid and thickened it into a gravy. Nice and easy, didn't have to make any additional stuff.

How about you guys, do you eat calzones? What do you like in them? Or what would you want to try in them but haven't yet or aren't brave enough? Next time I get some lamb I think I'm going to make a spicy Greek one. With that cheese they set on fire in Greek restaurants that I can't remember the name of. Good times.

I also recently made some dessert calzones that didn't quite turn out how I wanted, but I'll still post about them later this week. If nothing else they taught me a few things. Heh.

EDIT: After reading some of your comments I think I have been vague about the calzone pictured above. There is cheese in there. A heroic amount of mozzarella, even. High quality, Italian deli mozzarella at that. Just so there isn't any misunderstanding. Heh.


26 comments:

  1. Can't wait to see the dessert calzones! Anything chocolate there? As for me, I like sausage and cheese.

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  2. Casey likes the Hawaiian pizza concept in a calzone: BBQ sauce, ham, and pineapple. Sounds odd, but tastes delicious!

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  3. I like the idea of dessert calzone. MMM...as for what i like in them, as long as there cheese I don't care what else is stuffed into them. Cheese is the only must.

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  4. Lots of cheese. The more cheese the better. Anything sausage will be good. And a nice sauce...just not too saucy. But if it's a dessert, the sky's the limit.

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  5. if I seriously answer this we could be here all day. calzones, I love anything and everything, but not lettuce and nooooo anchovies. plus I like what Jenn said about dessert calzones.

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  6. MMMMMM Calzone Margherita!!! All the way baby!!
    Dessert Calzone? Cream cheese, Nutella and Fresh Raspberries... Maybe a hit of Chambord... AWESOME..!!!

    Oh the Greek cheese, Kefalotyri or Halloumi depending on what part of Greece... and THAT sound DELISH!

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  7. I love me some calzone. My favorite is probably a sausage parm, but well, anything you can wrap in bread can be a good calzone, eh?

    Oh, and the cheese I believe you are thinking of is kasseri, presuming it is the one we got at that Greek restaurant with the 'rents in Cambridge. I bet that would be really good with some nice garlicy lamb, onions and peppers, maybe some tzatziki sauce on the side...

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  8. Oh, the proper name for that particular fried kasseri would be Saganaki, by the way, with a some lemon juice and a little brandy, fresh pita and nice salty olives, mmmm.

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  9. I don't order calzones, but not because I don't like them. I just get excited about pizza and that's the end of that. But I'd probably go veggie--spinach and ricotta with a tomato sauce would be delicious.

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  10. I like a traditional calzone with ricotta and mozzarella. I always thought that everything else was called a roll. You know, a sausage roll, stromboli, something like that. To me a calzone must contain ricotta.

    Whatever you call it, your dish looks yummy!

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  11. unconfidentialcook: Oh you know there's chocolate. ;)

    Goldie: I love Hawaiian calzones! They're wicked good with bbq shredded pork as the meat/sauce.

    Jenn, Duo: Cheese is key, I concur.

    Dawn: Yeah, I don't feel it for anchovies either.

    Culinary Alchemist: That's a great idea. I'm adapting it. :D

    Brutal: That's the stuff! That stuff is so good.

    Hungry Dog: Oddly enough, I never order calzones. I only make them.

    Michele: I wonder if it's a regional thing, in Boston calzones almost never have ricotta. I've never heard of one being call a roll either, a roll is some kind of salad (chicken, lobster, etc) on a hot dog bun.

    But I agree, it's not what you call it, it's whether or not it's good. ;)

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  12. I'm actually not sure, but I am sure that I'd love to see cheese in it.

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  13. Chicken & Broccoli calzone sounds great! I also love the simple cheese & ham one. Looking forward to seeing your dessert calzones - neat idea!

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  14. I don't think lettuce inside is weird. Then again, not much really weirds me out! I'd love to have curried lamb and raisins inside my calzone. And a seafood one with scallops, shrimp, and teriyaki sauce. Oh, and don't forget the cheese!!

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  15. What don't I like in a calzone!

    Oh yeah... and Jon always gets mayo on his steak & cheese!

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  16. Chicken and broccoli is now my favorite calzone filling - that looks amazing! Lettuce would be strange - it's one of those foods where texture is most important since it really doesn't have any flavor. Limp just doesn't cut it! Looking forward to dessert calzones; I don't consider anything a fail if I can still eat it!

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  17. I'm a traditionalist! I like sausage or/and meatballs, peppers, onions, ricotta and mozzarella. Tomato sauce on the side or over the top. Dessert calzones sound super yummy!

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  18. Yum, like anything in my calzone! But especially this homemade Italian sausage a local pizza place makes (big old fennel seeds sticking out of it, yum), garlic, cheese, broccoli & onions...oh man...now I want one bad! :D

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  19. I couldn't find a calzone in these parts if I wanted to. It sucks.

    That being said, I'll eat a calzone with just about anything in it.

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  20. I haven't had one in years. I liked ham, pineapple and sauce in the one I ate often as a teenager. Dessert one? I'd be all over that in a heartbeat!

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  21. yummm!!! love the addition of cheese!!! love the idea of dessert calzone. pls more sausage!

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  22. yum.. I think I'd like your chicken and broc one. I love that combo. I wonder what it would taste like with a curry sauce in it? like chicken divan in a calzone. What I would like to try, but haven't...is a southern breakfast one...bacon eggs and gravy.

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  23. lettuce? ewww...i like mine with pepperoni, ham, bbq sauce, cheese...

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  24. no lettuce for ne neither! I've actually never had a calzone before..

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  25. OOOOOOOOOOooh i love calzones! Looks delicious!

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  26. I've been away from my favorite blogs for too long (not by choice either. *cry). haha!

    Catching up on my blog reading, I'm really happy to see a yummy looking calzone staring back at me. I love a good creamy white sauce on pizzas. I've never had it in a calzone. I'll have to try that soon.

    Next time I'm away...I'll suck it up and pay for internet at the hotel so I don't miss anymore posts. (^_^)

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