Tex-Mex Calzones...

Thank goodness it is Friday because that means pizza night is here again! Is that cheering I hear? We got an assembly line going too tonight so we could get these Tex-Mex Calzones into the oven as soon as possible.

I could go on and on again about the dough, but I'll bite my tonight and just say that we indeed used our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough for these calzones. While we left the dough to rise, I heated up a skillet to begin browning a half pound of ground turkey. If you want to keep the filling extra lean, use all ground breast meat, but it can dry out pretty quick. Since I usually grind meats at home when we need them instead of buying them from the market, I used about roughly an even ratio of light to dark for this dish to keep it a little more juicy. I do this not only for the fact that I know what exactly is in it, but I'm also able to have more control on the texture.

Once the meat was crumbled in the skillet, we tossed in an onion, a few cloves of minced garlic and a cup of chopped red bell pepper. The original recipe did call for using half green bell pepper, but neither of us care for its harsher tone. It also seemed pretty light on the spices, so we changed the amounts of the cumin and chili powder, while also adding a touch of ancho chile for a smoky note. Cooked until the vegetables were crisp-tender and the meat cooked through, we added a scoop of salsa verde (tomatillo salsa) into the skillet for a tangy zip.

For the mentioned assembly line, I quartered the relaxed dough, pressed out each malleable piece into a rectangle and then had Jeff dividing out the filling on top. Before hiding the juicy meat inside, we added shreds of cheese on top, then stretched the dough over and sealed the edges shut. Giving the calzones a quick massage with olive oil before sliding them onto the baking stone will make them shine, but this is certainly optional and not required. Because the salsa verde packs a punch (at least ours did as the jalapeños in it left a sizzle in our mouths!), I do recommend serving these with a dollop or two of sour cream for its cooling nature. While we just finished our plates a little while ago, is it sad that I'm already tossing around ideas in my head for the next new pizza recipe to make next Friday?!

Recipes
Tex-Mex Calzones