Name: Gram’s Calzone with Sausage and Cheese
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 pound store bought pizza dough ((1/2 kilo)); 2-3 Italian Sausages (large) ((remove the casing, approximately 2 cups chopped)); 1/2-1 tablespoon fennel seed ((optional)); pinch of salt; dash of paprika ((I use a dash of hot pepper flakes)); 1 egg; 1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella ((200 grams, firm not fresh)); 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella for the topping ((30 grams, firm not fresh))

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Gram’s Calzone, use a store bought or homemade pizza dough, stuffed with shredded mozzarella and Italian sausage then rolled sprinkled with more mozzarella and then baked to cheesy perfection. The perfect appetizer or main dish.

Friday is usually pizza day in our house, from my Best Pizza Dough to this simple Calzone Recipe.

In early 1900’s my maternal grandfather emigrated to Canada from a little town in the South of Italy. He married a my grandmother a woman named Amelia, who was of Italian descent but born in Canada.

For 13 years I was able to enjoy all the wonderful food that Amelia would cook. And cook she did, and bake.

I remember my father eating so many of her homemade eclairs and Cream Puffs. But her pasta and her calzone were something else.

On a recent post I made the Calzone that I have had here in Italy, after I received a message from my cousin saying “I don’t remember calzone like that, remember the one Gram made?”

And yes Janet, of course I remember the one our Gram made, because my Mom would make it too and I had the recipe.

She made her way a little different, instead of rolling the dough she would place one layer of dough on the bottom of a square pan add the filling and then place a second layer of dough on top.

I actually made it her way at the beginning, the Italian liked it but said “too much dough”. Then when I was in Toronto visiting, another cousin made this Calzone Recipe, but she made it rolled up! Thanks Nina.

Calzone or Stromboli

The way my grandmother made her’s is the way to make a traditional calzone, since the stuffing is in the middle sandwiched between the dough.
Usually though it is stuffed with tomato sauce and mozzarella, an inside out pizza!
The way my cousin makes it is a typical Stromboli, which is rolled. And an interesting fact, a Stromboli was invented in the 1950s in the United States.

So I started making this Sausage and Cheese Calzone the rolled up way and yes my husband agreed that this was the perfect ~~Calzone~~ Stromboli.

My Gram’s Calzone with Cheese and Sausage makes the perfect alternative to a regular Pizza night! Buon Appetito!

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