Stromboli

One of the first things my husband, Chris, and I prepared together, and still do to this day, is anything that needs pizza dough - calzones, stromboli, bread sticks, pizza...

Chris has experience in this field.  When we met he worked at a local pizza shop making pizzas.  One of our first dates included a pizza ordered from his shop.  The guys he worked with thought it would be funny to pull a prank and cover the pizza with cayenne..not so funny then, hilarious now.

I make my dough in a bread maker. It always produces a reliable dough every single time.  Here is the recipe for pizza dough straight from the recipe booklet that came with the Westbend® bread maker (a gift from my sister, Heather over 20 years ago) http://westbend.com/about-us-recipes/recipes/breads/other-recipes/pizza-dough-single-crust.html and step by step instructions on making Stromboli.  I double the dough recipe so that we always have one to give and one eat ourselves.

One stromboli feeds 4-5 people.

Original Stromboli

Ingredients
1 recipe pizza dough for 12-14 inch crust, doubled (or make your favorite, or purchase at Whole Foods Market)
12-15 thin slices sandwich pepperoni
12-15 slices sweet capicola
4-5 slices prosciutto
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
8-10 very thin slices provolone cheese (Sargento® Very Thin Slice)
1-2 Tablespoons, or to taste, seasoning blend (Mrs. Dash® Tomato, Basil, Garlic Seasoning Blend)
1 egg, scrambled
parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Kosher salt

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to the "warm" setting.*

2. On a floured surface roll out dough to roughly 12" x 16" rectangle - this need not be a pretty rectangle - the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. At this point you may transfer the dough to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, or wait until assembly is finished to move the stromboli.

3. Starting along the edge of the 16 inch side lay pepperoni in a row.  I only overlap the slices slightly, but if you like more meat - add more.Repeat this mid-way up the dough.

4. Cover the pepp with the capicola. Cover the capicola with the prosciutto.  Cover the meats with the provolone slices.  Sprinkle the whole rectangle with the mozzerella, parmesan and finally Mrs. Dash®.

5. Being careful to keep the filling in place, at the same 16 inch long end roll the stromboli until the filling is completely covered and the seam is pointing down.  At this point you may leave the stromboli in a long cylinder or grasp both ends and pull them toward you to create a horseshoe.  Pinch the ends shut, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and kosher salt to taste. Lastly, snip 1.5 inch slits in the top of the stromboli every 2-3 inches.

6. Place the stromboli in the warm oven for 15 minutes.  Remove the Stromboli and turn oven up to 425 degrees F.  When the oven is preheated put the stromboli back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until outside is golden brown.  Remove Stromboli from oven, let sit 3-5 minutes, cut and serve immediately with red sauce.

Stromboli - Chicken Parmesan 

Using the Original Stromboli recipe, omit all meats and replace with the following chicken parmesan
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded 1/4" thin OR sliced in half horizontally
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
Directions
In a large skillet heat oil on medium heat.

In a large resealable bag place flour, cheese, salt and pepper, shake to mix well.  Add chicken, one piece at a time to the bag and coat.  Remove the chicken and let rest on a plate.  Finish coating the rest of the chicken.  Place one layer of breaded chicken in hot oil.  Cook approximately 4-5 minutes on both sides until the internal temperature reached 165 degrees F.  Remove to paper towel lined platter.  Repeat until all chicken is cooked.  Cut chicken into long pieces - about 4-5 slices per breast.  Follow directions for assembly and baking.


Stromboli - Cheeseburger

Using the Original Stromboli recipe, omit all meat and replace with 3/4-1 pound ground beef round, browned and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Omit 1 - 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Follow directions for assembly and baking.

*You can skip the warm oven step and preheat immediately to 425 degrees F if you are in a hurry.  The dough will be a "breadier" consistency.