Stromboli

This is another recipe my mother has been making for years. For the longest time, it was the only way I ate spinach, & the only stromboli I had ever tasted. Now when I try stromboli at a restaurant or Italian deli, it just doesn't compare. The bread is quick to make and full of veggies with the perfect balance of cheese & meat.

First, make the dough.

Ingredients:

2 T yeast

1 T sugar/honey

1 3/4 c warm water

2 t salt

1 T oil

5 c flour (1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat)

*optional 2 T flax

In a large bowl, combine 1 c water with honey & add yeast. Let sit 5-10 mins until the mixture is frothing.  Add oil & sift in dry ingredients, adding one cup of flour at a time. Stir until the dough cannot be mixed anymore & pour onto a floured surface. Knead ~10 mins, until the dough is springy. Coat in oil, place back in the bowl, & cover with a towel.

Let rise ~1 hr, punching down intermittently.

While the dough is rising make the filling.

Ingredients:
1 stalk celery
1/2 red pepper
8 oz frozen spinach (or fresh)
1 medium onion
1 carrot
2 cloves garlic
8-10 slices provolone cheese
*optional prosciutto

Finely chop all of the vegetables & mince the garlic. Heat a large saucepan on M & add a few T of oil. When the oil is hot, add one at-a-time carrots, onion, garlic, celery, pepper & saute until soft and the onions are translucent. Add the spinach. If using frozen spinach, cook until it's warmed up; if using fresh, cook until the leaves are dark green and soft. Remove from heat, cover & wait for the bread to finish rising.

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 425 F. Grease & sprinkle with cornmeal 1 baking sheet.

Separate the dough into two halves and roll the first half out on a floured surface until it is 1/4" thick. Try to keep it an even circle/oval shape. Spread the dough with half of the filling & place a few slices of cheese & prosciutto on top. Roll up & carefully place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough & filling. Cut 5-6 slits along the top of the bread & bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

This time making it, I couldn't remember how much spinach to use & ended up using a whole pound! As a result, the stromboli were overflowing and very delicate. My rolls were also too long for the tray, so I tucked the ends under. The cheese dripped out a little into the oven, but the result was just as good as I remembered. I couldn't resist eating 3 slices immediately when it came out of the oven, and 2 later. Dinner tonight ended up being stromboli & salad :)