Ode to Catania’s: Veal and Peppers Calzone

Growing up on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, I had access to so much amazing food. This is one of my all-time favorite calzones. Catania’s is still located on Arthur Avenue as well as another location in Yonkers, NY (although I’m not sure it’s still the same owners!), but they do serve my favorite veal and peppers calzone! I hope you enjoy my interpretation of this classic calzone💚🤍❤️

Recipe
Dough
650g 00 Flour
450ml Warm Water
12g Salt
7g Active Dry Yeast
1 tsp Sugar (to Feed yeast)

Filling
1lb Ground Veal
1lb Ground Pork
3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1/2 cup White Wine
1 Onion, diced
1 Red Pepper, Diced
1 Garlic clove, diced
1 tsp Oregano
S&P to taste

Directions
Mix warm water, active dry yeast and sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes to bloom.
Add in flour and salt, mix until you have a shaggy dough. Let it sit covered, at room temperature, for one hour. This will allow the gluten to develop and the flower to hydrate.
After one hour, knead the dough for five minutes until you have a smooth ball. Placed into an oiled container, cover and let it rise in a warm place until the doubles in size, approximately one to two hours.
While the dough is rising, it’s time to make the filling. To a sauté pan, add diced onion and diced red pepper. Sauté until soft, then add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes.
Now add in ground meats and cook until browned. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Deglaze a pan with white wine. Allow the wine to cook out for a few minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature or you can make this the day before and place it in the refrigerator.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into two equal pieces. Grease a half sheet pan with olive oil. Stretch the dough out either using your hands or a rolling pin, whatever you feel more comfortable doing. Place the bottom crust on the greased pan and using a large ice cream scoop distribute the filling into 12 portions. Roll out the top crust and placed on top of the filling. Using your hands press the dough down in between filling to create a sheet of mini calzones (refer to the video below).
Brush the top crust with olive oil. Bake at 450°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Tip: Position the baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven. This helps to ensure a nice crust underneath. You can also place the calzones on a parchment paper and slide them onto a hot pizza stone.