Our Veggie Kitchen

For Mother's Day, I took my wife to the nursery for some plants and supplies. Then she and the girls went to the mall while I pulled weeds, edged the garden and prepared dinner. They came home to the smell of french bread and pizza sauce and we all overindulged in Stromboli. It was one of those rare meals when even the picky kids told me that I should make it again ... and soon!



This was my latest attempt to keep pizza toppings from falling off in the absence of cheese. On the positive side, it was easier and less time consuming than calzones. The crust was crispy and the inside was not soggy (like I had feared). And the loafs, which I sliced, made for easy distribution. I made four kinds and you could easilly take a slice from each, just like with pizza. On the down side, if you pile on the toppings, you're in for a mess when you try to roll them.



Stromboli
1 recipe french bread dough (without egg wash)
2-3 cups filling per loaf(4 loaves total)
1 quart(ish) pizza sauce (recipe follows)
olive oil for drizzling

After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 4 equal parts. Leave it to rise for about 10 minutes. Form each piece into a little loaf and roll out on a lightly floured surface. The length should be about the width of a cookie sheet and the thickness should be about 1/8 inch (like a pizza crust).

Spread the pizza sauce and the toppings on the dough. You should leave about 2" around the edges and about 1" on the edge where you will begin rolling. Roll the dough up into a loaf. If you have too much toppings, you may have to scrape some off toward the end. Fold the top and bottom over and press into the bottom (seam side) of the loaf. Place on a cookie sheet, seam side down.

Repeat with the three remaining loaves. Four loaves should fit on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, brush across the top of the loaves and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Serve in slices with the remaining pizza sauce.

Easy Pizza Sauce
28 oz tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp minced oregano
2 tbs minced basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix!