Friday, May 29: Cheesy Kale Stromboli
Decided to mix up Friday night pizza this week with a stromboli! Made my usual pizza dough recipe, but rolled it up with provolone, mozz, and garlicky kale. While it baked, I also made a simple pizza sauce for dipping. Even though some of the filling tried to escape, it still tasted great! Note: I used this recipe on The Kitchn as a guide.
In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup + 2 TB warm water (100-110 degrees), 3 tsp active dry yeast, 1 TB honey, and 1 TB olive oil. Let sit until foamy (about 10 minutes), then add in 2 1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Turn out dough onto a floured surface, then work in an additional 1/2 cup flour (a bit at a time), kneading it for a few minutes until the flour is incorporated and the dough becomes a smooth ball. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.
When your dough has about 15 minutes left to rise, make the kale! Heat 1-2 TB olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 3-4 sliced cloves of garlic and a big pinch of red pepper flakes; saute 3-5 minutes. Add 1 bunch of Tuscan kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces, plus a pinch of salt. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until kale is wilted (but not mushy). Remove from heat and let cool slightly before using in your stromboli.
When you’re ready to bake the stromboli, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Punch down the dough and dump it onto a half sheet pan (approx 18” x 13”) that you’ve sprinkled with a bit of flour. Using your hands, push and stretch the dough to fill the pan. (Note: you can also divide dough in half and make two stromboli, but I decided to make one giant one.) Position sheet pan so that long sides are facing you.
Layer on your fillings, making sure to leave a one-inch border all around, with a bit of extra space on the farthest long edge. I did: one layer of sliced provolone, a layer of the garlicky kale, then finally some shredded mozz on top. Before you start rolling it up, brush the long side farthest from you with some egg wash (one egg plus a splash of water, whisked until smooth), reserving the rest of the egg wash for later. Starting with the long edge closest to you, carefully and tightly roll into a log, folding in the short ends as you roll (like a burrito!). Finish by pinching shut the seam, and making sure the seam is on the bottom (I mistakenly left it on the side and it opened while baking, letting some of the filling ooze out, whoops).
Brush the top of the stromboli roll with the egg wash, then slice a few cuts into the top so that steam can escape while it bakes. Let the rolled stromboli rest 10-15 minutes, then pop into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or so, or until the crust is golden brown and the dough is cooked all the way through (you’ll know when you slice into it — I ended up having to bake mine about 5 more minutes to make sure it was cooked). Let sit for 10 minutes, the slice up and serve with marinara sauce (see my simple recipe below).
I made some marinara sauce while the stromboli was baking in the oven (note: we wished we had more sauce, so next time I would double the recipe and use a 28 oz can of tomatoes), though you can of course use your favorite store-bought pizza sauce. In a small sauce pan, heat up 1-2 TB olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 sliced clove of garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and cook for a few minutes. Add 2 TB tomato paste, and cook for a few minutes (stirring often) or until turning a darker red and starting to stick to the pan. Add 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes, plus a big pinch of salt and about 1 tsp each sugar, dried oregano, and Italian seasoning (or your favorite dried herbs). Bring to a simmer then reduce heat and let simmer (stirring occasionally) for 20 minutes, or until thickened and very flavorful. Taste and adjust for salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, etc. Serve alongside the stromboli for dipping.
