This month the Italian Food, Wine & Travel - #ItalianFWT - blogging group is traveling to Basilicata. Follow along the journey with my fellow #ItalianFWT bloggers. You can also chat with us live this Saturday morning at 11am EST on Twitter at #ItalianFWT. Hope to see you there!
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| from lifeinitaly.com |
The region of Basilicata, in Italy is at the instep of the
Italian "boot," bordering Campania to the west, Apulia (Puglia) to the north and east,
and Calabria to the south. Its capital is Potenza. Characterized by extremes of
temperature and terrain, its most famous is the Aglianico
grape where it was first introduced by the Greeks in the 6th and 7th centuries.
- Vino Travels – Aglianico,What Makes the Basilicata Pop!
- Culinary Adventures with Camilla – Calzone di Verdure
- Food Wine Click – Basilicata Aglianico Eruption
- Cooking Chat – Pasta with Bacon and Spinach
- The Wining Hour – Basilicata Aglianico and Veal Osso Bucco
- Rockin Red Blog – In Step in Italy: Exploring Basilicata Wine
In the Glass...
With the holidays and my poor planning, I found myself without a Basilicata wine to pour. Boo! But I plan to hunt one down soon as I'm intrigued by the descriptions of the densely flavored, well-structured Aglianico.
I researched some traditional Basilicata dishes and decided to try my hand at a Calzone di Verdure. It was so easy - and such a hit - that we will definitely be making this more often. I had everything I needed at home. Feel free to use your favorite pizza dough - homemade or not - to create these. They are great!
Ingredients
- 1 T active dry yeast
- 1 T organic granulated sugar
- 1 C warm water
- 3 C white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 C ground almonds
- 2 T olive oil
- 1/2 C fresh herbs, minced (I used a mixture of parsley, mint, thyme, and oregano)
- 1/2 C fennel bulb, chopped
- 1/2 C onions, chopped
- 4 C chopped greens (I used lacinto kale)
- 1/3 C dried cranberries (traditional are raisin, but I didn't have any)
- butter for rubbing on the calzone after baking
Procedure
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let bloom until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, ground almonds, herbs, and oil. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
While the dough rests, saute the fennel and onions in a large, flat-bottom pan until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add in the greens and cook till they turn bright green and are just softened. You don't want them overcooked. Stir in the cranberries.
While the dough rests, saute the fennel and onions in a large, flat-bottom pan until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add in the greens and cook till they turn bright green and are just softened. You don't want them overcooked. Stir in the cranberries.
Press dough - with floured fingers - onto baking stone into circle and cut down the middle to form two half circles. Place the greens filling on one half and bring the dough over to form a rough triangle. Press the edges together to seal.
Bake for 16 to 18 minutes - until the dough is cooked and nicely browned. Carefully pull the stone out of the oven. To serve, rub bread with butter and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve immediately.
Bake for 16 to 18 minutes - until the dough is cooked and nicely browned. Carefully pull the stone out of the oven. To serve, rub bread with butter and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve immediately.
Sounds tasty! Will be curious how this works with Aglianico if you get to try it. I found a bit of a clash with the greens in my dish, but you might have enough cheese and dough for that not to be an issue here!
ReplyDeleteWow! I love your Basilicata Calzone! Thank you for diving into the food of the region. Awesome! Cheers.
ReplyDeleteNothing like a good calzone!
ReplyDeleteThat calzone looks awesome! I notice you added sugar and cranberries...would you say it was sweet? Or just the perfect balance with the greens and other herbs? I must try this!
ReplyDeleteThe sugar is in the dough. It helps the yeast bloom. You can't taste it. The dried cranberries are a little bit sweet, but not too much.
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