Artichoke

Post-Thanksgiving Turkey, Pesto, and Ricotta Calzones

by:
November 26, 2009
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves Two large calzones (feeds four)
Author Notes

Turkey and pesto is one of my favorite sandwich combinations. After topping it off with some cheese and spinach, grilling it between two slices of ciabatta, and chasing it down with some red wine, I'm pretty much in Tryptophan heaven. However, if you're satisfying more than one turkey-pesto fix, assembling and grilling multiple sandwiches can be a serotonin buzz kill. Instead, I make it easy on myself by piling turkey, pesto, ricotta, and some tangy veggies into calzones. They're resourceful (you can use whatever leftovers you fancy) and they're great for a lazy night in when the number one priority is indulging yourself in a food coma. —theicp

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Ingredients
  • 2 Packages pre-made pizza dough (So what, I cheat.)
  • 1 Cup turkey, chopped
  • 1/2 Cup ricotta
  • 1/2 Cup crumbled feta
  • 6 Cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 Cup spinach, chopped
  • 1/4 Cup green onions, chopped
  • 1/4 Cup kalamata olives, chopped
  • 1/4 Cup marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
  • 1/4 Cup yellow peppers, chopped
  • 1/4 Cup tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 Cup fresh pesto
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2 Cup parmesan, finely grated
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, or per the pre-made pizza dough instructions.
  2. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup of the whole wheat flour on the pan. Remove the dough from the package, unroll it, and lay it flat on the flour. Sprinkle the side facing you with another 1/4 cup of flour. This will help the dough be a little more "workable" and also gives it a less, err, store bought appearance. Repeat with the other package of dough.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the cheese filling by mixing the ricotta, feta, minced garlic, spinach and green onions. Sprinkle with some hefty pinches of salt and pepper. Divide the mixture in half and spread across the center of the dough. Repeat with the other dough.
  4. Then, begin topping the cheese mixture with all the remaining ingredients. Split the turkey, olives, artichokes, yellow peppers and tomatoes in half, layering them over the ricotta and feta spread on each piece of dough, make sure you are distributing even amounts of turkey and veggies on each calzone. Sprinkle with some generous portions of salt and pepper.
  5. To close the calzone, first bring in left and right edges so that the corners are fully secure. Then, take the top and bottom of the dough to completely cover the veggies. Where the two edges meet, create a "crest" by rolling the edges together downwards.
  6. Take your egg, beat it in a ramekin, and brush it all over the top of the dough to give it that nice, challah-esque sheen.
  7. Once you're done with your egg wash, take a knife and poke four slits along each side of the calzone so steam can escape and not water down the ingredients.
  8. Place each calzone on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until it becomes golden brown.
  9. Once removed from the oven, drizzle a generous amount of pesto over each calzone, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and serve immediately. These things are huge, so be sure you split them in half to satisfy four hungry people.

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2 Reviews

dymnyno May 4, 2010
Love this recipe...want one NOW! and yes, Trader Joes makes the best pizza dough!
aargersi May 3, 2010
These sound DELISH and YAY for CHEATING! I would happily slide into a food coma with these ...