"Clean-the-Fridge" Calzone

(Cliccate qua per la versione italiana.)

The most delicious recipe in the world is that which you make from the stuff that you would have thrown away. — L.C.

Today I was cleaning out the fridge. There was a bunch of stuff in there:

* sausages, left over from the Salsicce, Finocchio, e Patate Rosse al Forno

* the “schmalz” from the same dish

* greens, prepared in the standard procedure for greens. (The two greens that, by chance, I had in the fridge were kale and collard greens — two greens common in America but rather unknown in Italy.  They both are types of “dark cabbage,” both from the Brassica oleracea Acephala group. Kale is curly; collards are flat.  A wonderful contrast!)

* a 15-oz. container of ricotta, intended for a cassata that was never made

* a plastic bag of pizza dough, made by Jeanette who said, “It has to be used either today or tomorrow.”

A light blub went off! A calzone.  But I’d never made a calzone before. I’m hardly a baker. (Jeanette is the baker in the family.)  

I greased the cookie sheet — not with butter, but with SCHMALZ!  I rolled out the dough. I added some sausage, cut in little pieces with a scissor. I took some greens, I squeezed out the broth, and I cut them with a scissor. I added some ricotta. Then I closed the calzone and placed the pan in a 350º oven for 35 minutes.

You can see from the photos to what extent I am not a baker.  I should have tucked the ends of the dough under!

The next time that I make this recipe, I will mix the fillings in a bowl, before adding them to the dough. And instead of ricotta alone, I will use the standard ricotta mixture that Italian-Americans use for ravioli, stuffed shells, manicotti, and lasagne. (Remember that béchamel sauce is not an ingredient of the classic Italian-American cuisine.)

- 15 oz. ricotta

- 1 large egg

- a handful of freshly grated pecorino (compulsory)

- a handful of freshly grated parmigiano (optional)

- a little freshly grated scamorza (or mozzarella)

- freshly chopped parsley

- salt (optional)

- freshly grated black pepper

- a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg