Calzone with Escarole and Provola

Pizza with escarole (a tender, slightly bitter and earthy green) is a dish that often appears around Christmas time in Campania, Italy. It’s especially popular as a Christmas Eve lunch when Neapolitans prefer to eat something lighter before the heavy dinner. The traditional preparation involves dough pressed into a round pan with a drizzle of olive oil, followed by a filling of escarole, olives, capers, pine nuts or walnuts, raisins and anchovies. It’s then topped with a thinner disc of dough, similar to a savoury pizza. 

For this updated version, Milan-based award-winning chef Lorenzo Sirabella opts for a calzone instead of a pizza and cooks it in an Ooni for a super fast bake. The dough is crunchy on the outside and pillowy on the inside, stuffed with escarole, garlic, olives, capers, walnuts, raisins, anchovies, provola (a soft, stringy cheese made with whole buffalo milk or sometimes cow’s milk) and Parmigiano Reggiano. Not too heavy and just the right amount of salty and cheesy, this is a great meal anytime you want to mix up your pizza game (holidays not required!).


Difficulty

Servings

Three 270-gram calzones

Prep Time

15 to 20 minutes

(excluding dough prep and proof time)
Cook Time

3 minutes

By Lorenzo Sirabella

wo hands holding slices of cooked calzone with escarole and provola on top of an Ooni Bamboo Pizza Peel & Serving Board on a table.

Note

This recipe takes time and requires a cold-proof, so be sure to set aside at least 24 hours to prep before cooking. If you can’t find escarole, feel free to sub spinach, and if smoked provola is not available, provolone is just as tasty!  


For the dough

1. Combine the flour and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a separate bowl, combine the water and salt. 

2. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and add the water and salt to the flour.

Knead on low speed until you have a smooth and homogeneous dough, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it again for 5 minutes.

3. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature, covered with a slightly damp cloth.

4. After 30 minutes, place the covered bowl into the fridge for an 18-hour cold-proof.

 

5. The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and dump it onto a lightly floured surface.

Using a bench scraper and digital scale for accuracy, divide it into three 270-gram balls. Let each ball rise in a dough box or lightly oiled and lidded container for another 6 hours. 

For the filling

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Place the escarole strips into the water and let boil for 1 minute. Drain the escarole in a colander, removing as much water as possible. 

2. In a large frying pan, heat up a drizzle of olive oil and fry the garlic until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside. 

3. Add the escarole to the pan and sauté the greens for 1 to 2 minutes.

When they begin to wilt, add the olives, capers, walnuts, raisins and chopped anchovies — stir-fry for 1 more minute with all the ingredients. Return the garlic to the pan, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

For the calzone

1. Preheat your oven to 400 °C (750 °F) 1 hour before baking the calzones.

You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer.

2. Place a dough ball on your lightly floured work surface.

Push the air from the centre to the ends using your fingers to press the dough into a small, flat disk of about 12 inches (30 centimetres).

3. Add the fillings to the upper half of the calzone, leaving about 1 inch (2.

5 centimetres) for the edge. Spoon and evenly spread ⅓ of the escarole mixture and ⅓ of the provola onto the dough. 

Two hands placing anchovies onto uncooked dough with escarole and provola on top of an Ooni Modular Table.

4. Fold the dough over the filling to make a semicircle or half-moon.

Press the edges down with the tins of a fork to seal well. (This is important as you don’t want your filling to spill out!)

5. Brush olive oil over the top of the calzone, then sprinkle over ⅓ of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Using a knife, make a small incision in the centre of the calzone; otherwise, it will puff up too much when baking.

6. Slightly lower the flame in your oven.

Transfer the calzone to a lightly floured pizza peel and launch into the oven. Cook the calzone for 1 to 1 ½ minutes on each side, turning every 20 seconds or so for an even bake.

One hand holding an Ooni Perforated Pizza Peel with an uncooked calzone with escarole and provola on top in front of an Ooni Koda 12 on an Ooni Modular Table.

7. Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy! Repeat the steps with the remaining calzones.

Lorenzo Sirabella

Lorenzo Sirabella (@lorenzosirabella) is a Neapolitan pizza chef based in Milan, Italy. Since 2018, he’s worked at Dry Milano, a pioneering venue for pizza and cocktail pairings. He’s received many awards, including making the list of Italy’s Top 50 Pizza in 2022 and 2020 and the Pastry in Pizzeria Olitalia Award.

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