Roasted Fennel Calzones

prep time:: 45 minutes
total time:: 1 hour 30 minutes

Makes 2 - 4 calzones

Lia

The idea for this came about from having a couple of whole fennel bulbs and not being sure what to do with them. The flavors of the goat cheese and roasted fennel blend well with the sweetness of the chicken sausage

ingredients

2 fennel bulbs, stems cut off and sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
6 oz goat cheese/chevre, crumbled
1 package precooked sweet apple chicken sausages (about 5 links), all sausages chopped into small pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella
1 pizza dough, homemade or store-bought

directions

1
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2
2. In a pan over medium heat, add onion and cook till tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add in the sausage and cook till sausage browned, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
3
3. In a small baking dish, add sliced fennel bulb and toss with just enough olive oil to coat all pieces (about 1-2 T), then sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar with enough to coat. Toss, then place in oven. Roast till fennel is cooked and starts to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes.
4
4. Meanwhile, cut pizza dough into 4 smaller even pieces, or 2 larger even pieces. Roll each one out to a flat rectangle or circle, making sure the dough is thin. Measurements/sizes will vary.
5
5. Mix sausage and onion mixture with goat, ricotta, and mozzarella cheeses. Add more ricotta or mozzarella as you see fit. The ricotta is used to help bind the ingredients together, the mozzarella to get a bit of meltiness.
6
6. Once fennel is done, let cool. Chop slices into small pieces. Then add to cheese and sausage mixture, blending well.
7
7. Lower oven heat to 350 degrees.
8
8. Onto each dough, place about 1/2 -3/4 cup of the filling, or more if the dough pieces are large. Make sure to put the filling on one side of the dough and leave the other half of the dough untouched. You may have filling leftover. Next, take the side of the dough without the filling on it and roll it over the side with the filling. Make sure there isn’t any air, seal and crimp the edges. Make a couple of small slits with a sharp knife onto the top of the calzone. Repeat for the remaining calzones.
9
9. Place on an oiled, flat baking dish, like a square pizza pan, all calzones (or as many as can fit). Bake about 20-25 minutes, or till golden brown. Let cool a few minutes and serve with tomato sauce.