Merciful God, You are great in compassion and Your tenderness for us is without measure. We ask You to give us today our daily bread, and also provide for the needs of all of Your hungry children around the world. Through Christ Your Son and Our Lord. Amen.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Stromboli

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When I put Stromboli on my menu last week (college boy's choice), I went to link to it and then realized that I had never posted the recipe. I can't imagine how I missed it, since it's one of my children's favorite dishes -- right up there with pizza. And since it's as easy to make as pizza (maybe easier), I'm not sure why I never posted it.

I'm fixing that today with the recipe for Pepperoni Stromboli and a Veggie Stromboli (down at the bottom) which I usually make for myself when I make pepperoni for the family. You can stuff a Stromboli with just about anything, however, and I have used sausage, peppers and mushrooms, and chicken and peppers for stuffing as well. But, really anything goes here -- BBQ beef, taco meat, Mexican pork or chicken. It's all good!

I don't usually brush the tops of my Stromboli with egg white, but if you like a shiny crust, go for it. It gets eaten far too fast at my house to worry about shiny crust.



Stromboli
(as written, makes one Stromboli)

1 pkg yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 T. sugar
1 T. vegetable oil
1 t. salt
3 to 3 1/4 cups flour
2 -3 cloves garlic, crushed, or 1 t. minced garlic
8 oz. package pepperoni, quartered (just stack 'em and cut 'em)
6 oz. shredded mozzarella or pizza blend cheese

pizza sauce or marinara sauce (homemade or canned), heated to steaming


Combine water, yeast and sugar.
Let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.
Add 1 c. flour, oil and salt and mix with dough hook until dough forms
(or if mixing by hand, with a spoon).
Add remaining flour, 1/2 c. at a time,
kneading at low speed until a smooth elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes, in mixer
(or if kneading by hand, turn onto floured surface
and knead until smooth and elastic).
Place in a greased bowl, turning once.
Cover and let rise at least one hour, until doubled.
Punch down proceed with stromboli.

With each piece, roll out a rectangle about 8 inches by 24 inches.


Dot with garlic (it doesn't take much, so don't be surprised by how little you have -- see my picture?).


Place pepperoni down the center of the bread dough.


Top with shredded cheese.



Then, fold one side of the dough over the center and then the other side. Pinch to seal down the length of the dough.



Place, seam side down, in an almost circle, on a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan.
Make small slits in the top for the steam to escape. Let it sit on the stovetop while you heat the oven.



Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, until top is golden brown.
Let cool for a few minutes, cut in wedges and serve with hot sauce.





For a veggie version of the Stromboli, just use whatever veggies you like. I used about 1/2 an onion, sliced, half a bell pepper and half a red pepper, sliced, about 8 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, and two cloves garlic, crushed.



Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small saute pan.
Add onions and peppers and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until peppers get a little bit soft.
Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms are soft, but not really done.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, Cool for about 5 minutes and if there is any liquid in the pan, soak it up with a paper towel.
Then follow the directions for the Stromboli, placing your veggies down the center of the dough, topping with cheese, folding, sealing and baking. Don't forget to slit the top.


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3 comments:

Anne said...

oh yum!!

LauraSuz said...

And pretty too!

Anonymous said...

I made this for my family, and everybody loved it!