Three Meat Calzone

Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 1/2 cup tomato juice or 1/2 cup v8 vegetable juice
• 1/2 package active dry yeast
• 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7/8 ounce package pepperoni slice, cut slices in half
• 2 tablespoons minced onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2-3/4 cup crumbled pre-cooked hot italian sausage (about 1 link)
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 teaspoons tomato paste
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Recipe

• 1 prepare the crust: combine tomato juice, yeast and 3/4 cup of the flour in a large bowl.
• 2 mix well then add oil, salt, and oregano, then gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup or so of flour.
• 3 work into a soft dough, then knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic.
• 4 transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
• 5 begin preparing filling while you wait for dough to rise, see below.
• 6 when dough has risen, divide it into 2 even balls and let rest another 15 minutes.
• 7 pat out dough balls into 2 crusts, each about 1/8 inch thick.
• 8 to prepare filling: brown the pepperoni a little in an ungreased non-stick skillet; add onion, garlic, pre-cooked and crumbled italian sausage and ground beef.
• 9 cook together until ground beef is thoroughly cooked; pour off excess grease, then add oregano and tomato paste; stir to combine thoroughly and cook another 10 minutes.
• 10 add salt or pepper to taste and set aside to let cool for filling the calzone.
• 11 to assemble the calzone: spread filling on one half of the prepared crust; sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese and top with the other prepared crust and press down firmly along the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.
• 12 slash top crust with a knife as you would a pie, then bake on a lightly oiled pizza pan in a 450 degree oven 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
• 13 alternatively, you could make two separate calzones instead of one large one.