Next on the Menu... Chicken Pot Pie!!!

Pizza Villa Calzone

Here is a recipe that comes from my youth.  Way back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth (circa 1970), there used to be this Italian restaurant by the name of Lasourdo's Pizza Villa.  Back at that time, they were the only ones in my area who used to make calzones.  This memory from my childhood hasn't faded a bit.  I can still remember how long it used to take to make (well, it seemed like forever, but I was an impatient 7 year old at the time).  I can remember how it used to come to you all beautifully dark golden brown; how you'd have to cut it open and wait for another eon to let it cool down before you could eat it and how wonderful it tasted when you finally could.  After they closed down not long after, there were no calzones to be found around here for a long, long time.  When they appeared here again, everyone was and is still making them by putting filling on half of a pizza shell, folding it over and baking them in the oven.  In my mind, that was near blasphemy to the memory of what a 'real' calzone was.  Well, I can stand it no longer!  I'm here to put this situation right.  Try one of these calzones just once and I guarantee you'll be converted!

For the dough:

1 cup warm water (105°-115°)

1 packet active dry yeast

1 tsp. kosher salt (or ½ tsp. table salt)

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

2½-3½ cups flour

For the filling:

½ lb. ham, cubed
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 large egg
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. or so dried basil


Other:
2-3 qts. vegetable oil for frying