Onto vegan week #2 (we have designated one week per month until the Mini - at least - "Vegan Week"). This was our kickoff meal last night. We both thought it was beyond delicious and that we would crave it whether or not it was Vegan Week. So, onto the blog.
1/2 recipe homemade pizza dough (I added minced kalamata olives to my dough. If you want to do this, add the olives when you've got a nice, sticky paste, or about 1/2 way through adding the flour)
2/3 head cauliflower, separated into small florets
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
1 c. cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stems removed and quartered
3 dried cayenne peppers (or other chiles, as you like)
2 tsp. fennel seed, crushed
kosher salt
black pepper
olive oil
tomato sauce or other dipping sauce, as you like
Start out by making dough. Remember, you only need a half recipe. The recipe below is the whole recipe. If you make the whole thing and want to save it, wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
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The following dough recipe is from Jamie Oliver’s “Cook your way to the Good Life.”
1 ¼ very warm water
1 sachet (or 2 ¼ tsp) active dry yeast
1 T. kosher salt
1 T. turbinado sugar
2 T. olive oil
Mix together in a large bowl (you will use this bowl to incorporate all of the flour into the dough) and let set until yeast is foamy (about 5-10 minutes.)
1 c. finely ground semolina
2 ½ c. quality bread flour
OR
3 ½ c. quality bread flour
Mix semolina and flour a cup at a time into yeast mixture with a fork until you cannot stir it at all. Add the rest of the flour and knead with your hands, adding more flour a small bit at a time until dough is shiny and elastic. Add to a clean oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight or at least a few hours. Remove dough from fridge about an hour before you wish to cook the pizza. Once dough has warmed up a bit, split into two halves and roll out as thinly as you can. Rolling the dough out on a wooden pizza peel sprinkled generously with finely ground corn meal works well. Let rolled-out dough sit for another 15 minutes.
Note: You can make the dough the same night that you make the pizza. Start the dough about 1 - 1 1/2 hours before the pizza and do not refrigerate. Once dough is oiled in the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside to rise in a warm spot.
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While your dough rises, start on the veg. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees while you're chopping. Mix together cauliflower, carrots, chile, and fennel seed. Season liberally with kosher salt and black pepper, then toss with a glug of olive oil. Bake about 15 minutes and add the mushrooms. Be sure to stir so that the mushrooms get coated with oil. Bake another 10 minutes, or until veg is nicely tender.
Now, raise the oven temp to 500 degrees.
Roll out the dough into two equal portions roughly the shape of an oval. Top each dough with half of the veg and fold over. Crimp the edges so that nothing escapes.
Bake for 10 minutes or until nicely golden. If you like, warm the tomato sauce in a small oven-safe container while the calzones bake.
Serve, dip, and enjoy!
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