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!

I've been thinking about these for a while, now. With fall in full swing and the cold coming on, I figured now was the time.

I have a few comments about this recipe:

1. I have never made a cirlularly shaped flat bread, pie crust or pizza dough. The dough, here, is pretty forgiving. I ended up with a couple ovals, a rhombus and several ink blot shapes. They all turned out looking good.
2. I like the heartiness of the whole wheat crust, especially with the pot pie mix. If you replace some of the whole wheat flour with white, add some extra white flour, maybe 1/4 cup.
   
3. If you make six calzones, they are quite large. You may opt to make twelve smaller ones. I did some of each. In the future, I think I'll stick with the smaller ones. They should freeze well too. (I hope!)
4. Neither calzones nor pot pies are really 'recipe' foods. Change the recipe and play with what you have on hand or with what sounds good. A cup of goo (large) or half a cup of goo (small) are good guidelines.
   

Veggie Pot Pockets

Filling:
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 can white beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1 cup chicken flavored vegetable broth
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Bread:
3 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or a mix of white & wheat)
1 1/2 cup water
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (2 packets)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbs agave nectar

Filling: Melt the margarine, then saute the onions, carrots and celery until the onion is soft. Stir in the the garlic, mushrooms and broccoli and continue until the broccoli just begins to soften. Stir in the flour and cook for a couple minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the soy milk, broth, beans and corn. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until the flour has fully incorporated into the sauce. Remove from heat and allow to cool, or refrigerate. It's easier to work with if it's cold. You should have about 6 cups of sauce.

Bread: Pour yeast into warm water, quickly whisk and set aside. Allow to proof for 5 minutes, until the yeast becomes frothy. Stir in the agave nectar and oil. In a separate bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until a dough is formed. Knead on a floured surface for about ten minutes. You know the dough is done when it attains an elsatic quality when you press your thumb into the dough. Or, in my case, when you bring it into the living room and your wife says it's done.

Place the dough into a oiled bowl, cover with a wet towel and allow to rise until it has doubled, about an hour. Tip it back onto the counter top, cut into six (or twelve) equal balls. Cover again and allow to rise a second time, maybe half an hour.

Assembly: Sprinkle some cornmeal onto the countertop. Take a ball of dough, and push it out with your fingers, flattening it until it resembles a circle, about half the final size. Roll it out with a rolling pin to a circular crust, about nine or ten inches (5 inches for small size). Put a cup (or half cup) filling in the center and fold the dough over, leaving a small lip between the top and bottom layers (see pic). Fold the bottom layer over the top and press the layers together with a fork. Bake the pockets on two cookie sheets at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are crisp.

6 Servings: 531 cal (13g fat, 94g carbs, 24g protein)