I Had Calzones on the Brain

Earlier this week, I published my ranking of food that appeared on Seinfeld. George's eggplant calzone was 9th on the list, and it just so happens my son has been asking to take a break from pizza every Friday. Well, have I got a loophole for you!

First of all, I can't imagine being a 7 year old kid and getting sick of pizza. When I was his age, pizza was a god-tier food that I couldn't get enough of—but I didn't have it every week. What a truly strange childhood I've given him. Anyway, I figured now would be the perfect time to take my first crack at calzones. I'm happy to report it went very well.

Now, I obviously know what a calzone is and I had a pretty good idea of how to make one, but I was curious. After watching a Food Wishes video, I learned two big things: leave the sauce outside for dipping and make sure to cut some vent holes. I absolutely would have put the sauce inside and ended up with a soupy mess, so thank you, Chef John.

The fun thing about calzones is everyone gets to choose their own toppings, or I guess fillings, in this case. I put out pepperoni, green olives, ham, chicken, sauteed bell peppers, and jalapenos. My son went with pepperoni and olives, my wife opted for everything but the jalepenos, and I did the Dad Thing and scraped whatever was left into my calzone.

I'm super happy with how they came out. The dough was nicely brown and flaky, the cheese was melted, and there were no breaches or explosions of moisture. I'm pretty proud of my first attempt at calzones and I'm already thinking about different fillings to try. Maybe I will give George's eggplant a chance after all.

First Try Calzones - 9/10

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