20 days till Christmas.. Eat this..pizza turnover (calzone)

HOLY COW !! 20 days till christmas!!!

How is it going? Presents bought??  House decorated?? Cards mailed?? Nah, me neither..lol... but eat well anyways

 

 

 

 

 

PIZZA TURNOVERS /Calzones

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. sausage meat
1 onion (chopped)
1 green pepper (chopped)
1 lg. can tomato sauce
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt and pepper
8 oz. pack shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 tubes Texas style refrigerator biscuits (12 oz Pizza Dough 7" circles, or crescent roll, rolled to 1/4" thick)

olive oil

    In a large skillet, cook sausage meat, ground beef, onion, pepper and seasonings until meat is done. Remove from heat. Drain off grease and stir in tomato sauce; set aside.On lightly floured wax paper, roll out biscuits into 6 inch circles. Stir cheese into meat mixture. Place 3-4 tablespoons mixture in center of each circle, fold over and seal edges by pressing with fork tines.    Cover bottom of clean skillet with cooking oil. Heat to medium hot. Lightly brown each side of turnover, adding oil as necessary.


serve with:

Caesar Salad

    This may seem like a lot of work but it can all be done while your turnovers are cooking... it is worth the extra effort..

History of the Caesar Salad

 

This popular dish was originally created in 1924 by Italian chef Caesar Cardini at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico and was prepared and served right at the table. If you have never experienced "the show" that goes with table side presentation, you don't know what you missed. What an opportunity for a waiter to show off his stuff, mixing and whisking to the delight of the patrons.
For those of you who are not fans of anchovies (I am NOT a fan of anchovies), you may be interested in knowing the original recipe for this salad did not include them. So when the waiter asks if you want anchovies on your Caesar Salad, tell him, " No, I prefer Chef Cardini's original recipe."

What About Those Raw Eggs?

 

Although some recipes use a raw egg, a coddled egg will give the dressing a smoother, creamier texture. How does the Reluctant Gourmet coddle an egg? Easy, bring a small pot of water to fast boil and gently place the egg into it and cook for 45 seconds.
You can buy a variety of bottled Caesar Salad dressings in your grocery store even one that has an photo of Chef Cardini on it, but none are as good as making it yourself.

The recipe below is not Cardini's original recipe but one that was from a chef in New York City. You can also buy a variety of commercial croutons, but I highly recommend making your own. It's easy and the taste is far better than any crouton you can purchase. You can store the croutons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day.



Prepping the croutons - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush the garlic cloves with the side of a chef's knife (be very careful) or with a garlic press. Slice up the baguette and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.

Prepping the salad - Again crush the garlic. If you are using flat anchovies out of a can, mince one or two to make 1 1/2 teaspoons worth. Grate the Parmesan cheese. It's always better to grate it yourself if you have the opportunity.

For the Croutons:

2 large garlic cloves

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons virgin olive oil

2 cups French baguette slices cut up into 1/2 inch cubes (any bread works too)

For the Salad:

1 large egg

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 medium garlic clove, crushed

1 pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 4 flat anchovies (optional)

1 teaspoon capers

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup virgin olive oil

2 medium heads of romaine lettuce -- outer leaves removed

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated

How To Make At Home:

For the Croutons
Combine garlic, oil, salt, and bread cubes in a bowl. Mix until cubes are coated evenly. Spread the coated cubes onto a baking sheet and bake until the croutons are golden. This should take about 10 minutes.

For the salad
Bring a pot of boiling water to boil, add egg and cook for just 45 seconds....NO MORE. This is coddling the egg. Remove from heat and let it cool off.

Meanwhile, mix the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper, anchovy, mustard and capers in a bowl. Crack egg and add to these ingredients. Whisk until smooth.
Now for the tricky part. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream while constantly whisking again until smooth. Reason: if you add the oil too quickly, the dressing will be separate and not emulsify.

To serve
Tear the romaine lettuce into 1-2 inch pieces and add them to a large bowl (wooden if you have one). Add half the dressing, toss, add remaining dressing, Parmesan cheese, and croutons and toss again. Serve on chilled plates.

If you need a wine to pair with a meat pizza, you could try a Zinfandel to go with it.

Zinfandel

(ZIHN-fuhn-dehl): A red wine with jammy fruit like blackberry is a match.