Italian and Greek Calzones - Gluten-Free!

Italian Calzone

     About six months ago, my husband and I took a trip back to where I lived before we got married. Every time I go back, I have to eat at my two favorite restaurants: the Greek one and the Indian one. Having fully messed up his stomach on the Indian one, we chose the Greek one this time. While I chowed down on my Gyro Salad and Hummus (the best I've ever had), he opted for the safe choice and ate one of their calzones, Italian-style. Full of meat and cheese. He loved it. He raved about it. And I'm still hearing about it.
     For some crazy reason, I thought about doing a ricotta gnocchi for my main dish, but when I remembered his incessant  "Babe, why don't you try to make calzones?" plea, I figured I had to give in. Calzones, it is! 
     So I planned on Italian, but then I saw those Kalamata olive in the fridge, and had to do a Greek version, too. Both are delicious! Remember that the dough makes 4-5 calzones and each of the fillings fills 4-5, so choose one filling, or do half of both. 
Happy eating!
---Jenny

ITALIAN & GREEK CALZONES
Calzone Dough: (Makes 4-5 calzones)
3 ½ cups Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix
2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
½ cup cold water
¼ cup bread mix, for dusting
1 egg, scrambled, for egg wash
Directions Below...

Cheese Mixture: (Makes 4-5 calzones)
 ¾ cup ricotta cheese
 ¾ cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
 ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
 2-4 tablespoons diced parsley
 Mix ingredients and set aside.

Italian Filling: (Makes 4-5 calzones)
 3/4 cup prepared tomato sauce, seasoned as you like it
 20 slices pepperoni
 ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
 ¼ cup sauteed mixture of onions and bell pepper (any color)
 Layer everything on top of cheese mixture onto one side of calzone dough. Fold dough over and wash with egg.

Greek Filling: (Makes 4-5 calzones)
1 cup diced prepared chicken breast
juice of ½ lemon
2-3 tablespoons Kalamata olives, pitted and diced
2-3 tablespoons capers
¼ cup Asiago cheese, grated (and added to cheese mixture)
Soak chicken in lemon juice for 30 mintues. Layer ingredients on top of cheese mixture onto one side of calzone dough. Fold over and wash with egg.

To prepare calzone dough:
     Cut up both sticks of butter into small squares and add to bread mix in a large bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to blend the butter into the bread mix until it looks like coarse pea-sized crumbles. Be sure not to over-blend so the butter does not melt too much. Add the ice water 1-2 tablespoons at a time using your hands or a fork to blend with the dough. When the dough just begins to come together use your hands to bring it together. Make sure the dough is not too sticky or so dry that it falls apart.
Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to use.
       Pre-heat oven to 375º. Dust wax paper with remaining bread mix. Separate dough into 4-5 pieces and press each section down with hands to form an even round, about 1/4-inch thick. Dust top with additional mix.
       Put about 3 tablespoons of cheese mixture on one side of the dough. Layer ingredients on top. Fold the dough over and match the ends together lightly pressing down to seal any open spaces. Brush a small amount of the beaten egg all along the edges of the dough. Grease a baking sheet and place calzones at least ½ inch apart. Bake 20-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Greek Calzone

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