Sausage and Fresh Mushroom Calzones

The hardest part of making a meal is always, "What should I make?" The actual making it is the easy part.

I wrote up a list of things we like to eat and have it hanging on the side of the frig so when I am stumped I can look at it. Today I went to the computer instead and typed in sausage + mushrooms and suddenly there were more ideas than I could imagine. There were pasta casseroles and several pizza variations and soups and rice dishes. I didn't see a single calzone, but that is what I am making. Go figure.

Sausage and Fresh Mushroom Calzones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with spray oil.

Dough:

1/2 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
about 3/4 cup water or milk

Mix 1/2 cup water, yeast, and sugar and let sit 5 minutes until frothy. Then mix in the flour, oil and salt. Add water or milk until it holds together and cleans the side of the bowl. Knead 1 minute until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise for half an hour. Meanwhile, make the filling.

Filling:

3/4 pound ground farm-style sausage
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped in 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 of a fresh tomato, chopped (I had some left from tacos)
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk

Cook the sausage over medium high heat until well cooked and crumbled. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Continue cooking with the sausage until the moisture is mostly cooked out. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Then a few tablespoons at a time, stir in the milk to make a creamy gravy to hold the meat together. (This sauce is really good over biscuits for breakfast, too)

Cut 6 slices of sharp cheddar cheese for the next step.

Now divide the dough into 3 parts. Roll each piece out into a 1/4 inch thick circle.











Add 1/3 filling along one half of a circle keeping the outer 1/2 inch clean. Then put two slices of cheese onto the filling - breaking it up to fit.  Fold the other edge of the circle up and over the filling and cheese.

Carefully pinch the edges of the dough together making a good seal around the outer edge. Repeat with the other dough circles.




Put the calzones onto the oiled sheet and cover with a damp dish towel. Let rise for 15 minutes. Then bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.