Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package fast-rising active dry yeast ( or 1 tbsp)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 small red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small yellow bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons pureed chipotle chiles in adobo ( see directions)
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon olive oil ( approximate measure)
Directions:
To make dough, combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl; gradually stir in the water and oil.
Mix until dough is soft and pliable–you may find you have to switch to your hands, rather than keep using a spoon.
Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
Lightly butter a glass or ceramic bowl and place dough into bowl, turning it so entire surface of dough is buttered.
Cover loosely with a tea towel and put bowl aside in a warm place for about one hour, until dough has risen and doubled in size.
Meanwhile, you can make the filling.
To make the chipotle puree, open a can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce and place in your blender or food processor; puree until smooth, then measure out the 2 tsp you need (you can freeze the leftovers for another use).
In a small bowl, toss the chicken slices with the seasonings (salt through to turmeric).
In a skillet over medium heat, heat the 3 tbsp of olive oil and saute the seasoned chicken slices for about 5 minutes, until chicken is no longer pinkish inside.
If there are any spices in the bottom of the bowl, make sure you add them to the skillet too–you want ALL the flavour!
Remove chicken from skillet and place in a bowl, then saute peppers and garlic until peppers are tender; this will take about 5 minutes or so.
Add to chicken in bowl, then let rest for a few minutes to cool down.
Stir in chipotle puree, cheese and coriander.
When your dough is ready, punch it down and divide into 12 portions; roll out each into a 6-inch circle.
Divide filling among the 12 circles, spooning into the centre of each.
Please note that I have only made this recipe once, and I found that I had a little too much filling (perhaps I bought too much chicken, I don’t remember now); so don’t feel that you absolutely have to use the entire chicken mixture (a little extra to snack on is a good thing).
Wet the edges of the dough circles with some water (or some beaten egg, if you wish) and fold the circles in half, into half-circles; pinch the edges to seal tight.
Brush both sides of calzones with a little olive oil, then grill over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, until the dough is cooked and has a golden-brown appearance.
While this recipe calls for using the grill, I see no reason why you couldn’t bake them.
Servings: 12
Time preparation: 90 min.
Time total: 100 min.