Whole Grain Calzones with BroccoLeaf
You are probably asking, what is BroccoLeaf? We didn’t know either until the Foxy vegetable folks brought it to our attention. It is a new non-GMO vegetable that is hitting the shelves that can be used in a similar way to kale or spinach. It is, indeed, the leaves of the broccoli plant. It comes in a bunch (just like kale with big leaves) and also in bags of chopped leaves, ready for smoothies or other dishes. Right now it is available at Shaw’s supermarkets, but ask for it from your grocer. It is organic and packed with calcium, vitamin C, folate and loaded with “phytonutrients which contains the heroes of detoxification (the three cancer fighting Glucosinates)” according to the Foxy information.
Right away we saw that basically any time we might bake with spinach or kale, we could try BroccoLeaf. We made some smoothies and a quiche and it worked wonderfully. And then we remembered a recipe we hadn’t made for ages: a calzone inspired by an original Moosewood Cookbook recipe. We had a 12-ounce bag of the BroccoLeaf that was begging to be stuffed inside a calzone. We cheated a bit and picked up some frozen multi-grain pizza dough from Whole Foods. You could certainly make your own, but this is an example of a convenience product that has pure ingredients and we are thankful for its availability. Any frozen pizza dough could be used.
The combo of the creamy ricotta and slightly salty Parmesan, and chewy, stringy, melty mozzarella was a great foil for the generous portion of BroccoLeaf. You knew you were getting your greens with this dish. We have rarely felt so virtuous eating a baked good.
- 1, 12-ounce package BroccoLeaf
- 1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 cups lightly packed shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds frozen and defrosted pizza dough, such as Whole Foods Multi-Grain Pizza Dough
- Olive oil
- 2 cups of your favorite jarred marinara sauce
- Position racks in upper and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper; set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil, empty contents of BroccoLeaf bag into pot and cook for about 1 minute. Drain BroccoLeaf in a colander in the sink. Use a broad, sturdy spoon or a large wooden spoon to press as much liquid out of the BroccoLeaf as possible. Scrape into large mixing bowl. Add ricotta, garlic, mozzarella and Parmesan and stir to mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll out one at a time on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thickness and about 10-inches around. Place a mound of filling – about 1 cup – on half of the circle, leaving a generous edge all the way around. Brush the outer edge with water and press the free half over the half with the filling, creating a thick, puffy half-moon shape. Use a fork to press the edges together well to seal. Place on prepared pan and repeat with remaining dough and filling, spacing the calzones out evenly on pans. (Calzones can also be frozen at this point. To bake, simply bake straight from freezer, increasing baking time until done).
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown all over. Brush the calzones with a little olive oil as they emerge from oven. Heat the marinara sauce while calzones are baking. Serve immediately with a little sauce ladled over. A green salad rounds out the meal.
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