Wednesday, July 23, 2008

PANEER STUFFED CALZONE

A calzone , sometimes referred to as a italian pouch, is an Italian turnover made from pizza dough and stuffed with cheese usually mozarella and ricotta, meat, vegetables, or a variety of other stuffings. It is typically served with marinara sauce on the side for dipping. The dough is folded over, sealed on one edge, and baked.

Calzones are not folded pizzas, they do resemble pizzas in some ways, but are far from it. A dough is rolled out evenly into a circle instead of molded into a bread pan.

Calzones are similar to stromboli, but traditionally the two are distinct dishes, as stromboli usually contains mozzarella cheese and is served with marinara sauce on the side. Moreover, stromboli is rolled to resemble a loaf, whereas a calzone is folded to resemble a semi-circle.(source - wikipedia)


Here i have stuffed the calzone with a spicy tangy paneer filling.Its was so soft and crisp right from the oven.You can also eat this at room temperature.I didnt use any tomato sauce to dip it in,had it just like that straight from the oven.The filling was really good,beyond my expections. Calzones are so ful filling enough to have as a main course than as a snack.



(Recipe for the crust adopted from the book Tastes of Home-The baking book)

INGREDIENTS

Unbleached flour - 3 1/4 cups

Active dry yeast - 2 1/4 tsp

Warm water - 1/2 cup

Warm milk - 3/4 cup

Salt - 1 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 3 tbsp

For the filling:-

Paneer cubes - 1 1/2 cups (i used home made paneer)

onions - 2 medium size , chopped fine

tomatoes - 2 medium size , chopped

green bell pepper - 1 medium size, diced small

gin-gar paste - 1 1/2 tsp

turmeric pdr - 1 tsp

red chilli pdr - 1/2 tsp

green chillies - 3,chopped

curry leaves - 1 sprig, chopped

coriander pdr - 2 tsp

garam masala - 1 tsp

tomato paste - 1 tbsp

cilantro - a small bunch,chopped

salt and pepper

METHOD
In a small glass bowl,dissolve yeast in a warm water.Let it stand for 5 - 10 mins.

In a large mixing bowl, sift flour,salt and sugar.Make a well in the center and add the yeast water ,milk and oil.Stir in enough flour to make a paste and use the rest to make a soft firm dough.Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 mins.Place in a greased bowl,turning ones to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled,about 1 hr.
In the meantime make the filling.Heat some oil in a pan and cook the paneer cubes until they are slightly brown.Remove and set aside.In the same pan add gin-gar paste,green chillies and curry leaves.Saute for a few seconds.Then add turmeric, chopped onions,bell pepper and tomato.Add salt and saute until the vegetables become soft.Add red chilli pdr,coriander pdr and garam masala.Stir everything together until everything is combined.Add tomato paste and sprinkle with some water to help stir the paste easily.Roast the mixture until it gets brown.Add cilantro and the cooked paneer cubes in the end.Combine it well and keep it aside to cool.
Punch down the dough and rest for 10 mins.Divide into 4 equal pieces.Make it into a smooth round and let it rest for another 30 mins,covered.Preheat oven to 400 deg F .Then roll out each piece into a circle 1/4 " thick. Top each with the paneer filling and fold dough over it.Pinch the sides to seal. Give 3 slits on top for the steam to escape.Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil for easy clean up. Sprinkle with some corn meal to avoid the sticking of the dough.Place the filled dough on the baking sheet.Brush some olive oil on top and bake for 15-20 mins or until its golden brown.

Let it cool a bit before cutting.As it cools it becomes softer.Serve warm.

30 comments:

@the_whisk_affair said...

oh wow!! u sure are a pro baker Ranji...the calzone looks awesome! and way to go with indianizingthe recipe with paneer stuffing! awwwwesome job! :-)

Cham said...

I love ur Indian version of calzone, I would enjoy more this flavor, looks spicy and yummy!

notyet100 said...

wow,..this is somethi new fo me,,,looks real yum,..goona try for sure..th day i start baking,..till the can just drool by lookin at such yummy pics ,.nice one..

Sum Raj said...

luved the Italian version soooooooooooo much....ur filling looks spicy and yum....nice texture and lovly colour....ur amazing ranji tht ur trying all sorts of recipe....thre r so many recipe from ur blog that i luve to make still....

Madhavi said...

One more awesome entry Ranji, I jus love love love this calzone. Looks divine and delicious!!!! Keep posting awesome entries dear!!!

Dori said...

Wow, this looks too yummy!

Unknown said...

calzones looks delicious..nice post!!got to try this..

Trupti said...

indian version of calzone looks delicious. I tried your stuffed brinjal..it come out really good. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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Rachel said...

The calzones are such little beauties.love the filling...mine always turn greasy ...and I did hear someone say her baking goods don't turn out that good...Hmmm!!!!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Your calzones have turned out very well.
Coincidentally, I just did a calzone post, though a bit different!

Divya Kudua said...

Yummy calzones Ranji..You are becoming a pro in baking..great going!!

delhibelle said...

Looks so very delish, Ranji!

Illatharasi said...

Good one ... need to try this:)

Shreya said...

I have always ordered calzones from dominos pizza.. :D should try this at home...looks delicious..

Laavanya said...

The paneer stuffing must be a spicy & tasty touch to the calzones - lovely idea Ranji.

Deepthi Shankar said...

wow thatz sooo mouth watering .. am hungry right now .. feel like eating it right away

kamala said...

Love the paneer stuffing Ranji...Mouthwatering

Bhawana said...

I never tried anything like this. But urs looking mouthwatering. Soo tempting dear.

Vaishali said...

A homemade calzone! How lovely, Ranji. It looks absolutely delicious.

Unknown said...

Calzone with home made Paneer!!!!!!! aaaaaah! what more does a person need? I love calzones - looks delicious ranj..did ur parents get lucky ?? :) Thanks for sending me these..yum yum

DK
http://culinarybazaar.blogspot.com

Beyond Curries said...

Amazing stuffing and calzones Ranji. Somehow I have not yet got the patience to make the pizza dough, so I always use the store bought dough. I bet home made dough tastes way better than the store bought ones.

vandana rajesh said...

Wow!! delicious calzone ranji and a nice twist to it with paneer.Thks for the entry at the paneer event.

Katie said...

What a great idea! The calzones look wonderful. I love your blog.

Indian Khana said...

Wonderful calzones...and very detail recipe...looks great

bha said...

what a superb idea of making calzones....and paneer stuffing so much better than the cheese filled we get at pizzahut....loving it

Swati said...

Lovely calzones.. you have got my mouth watering!!

Unknown said...

Wow..Calzones with an Indian touch..Great going gal.

Vaidehi Bhave said...

Calzones are looking very delicious.. what a creative Idea Ranji!!! amazing...thanks for sharing :)

lubnakarim06 said...

Looks very delicious.

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Looks yummy, I shall try this out for sure. Thank u.