This stromboli is unbelievably easy and super yummy - fun to make, serve, and eat! If you use a bread-maker, just get that dough set in the afternoon and when the kids come home from school, pull it out and assemble it together. It makes for one of those special-treat type dinners and leaves you plenty of time to check on the goats and read some stories (ummm, to the human kids...). The dipping sauce is a great opportunity to sneak in some extra veggies, and I usually make the pizza dough with 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white, a bit of ground flax, and maybe 1/2 cup oatmeal or steel-cut oats. There are some assumptions here that I want to expand on in future posts - that pizza dough recipe is a prime example, also prepping the veggies for their sneaky addition to the dipping sauce. I'll get this to you, and I will also get a picture the next time I make it, before it disappears!
This is completely inspired by a recipe by the
Naptime Chef (love that name!) so please check it out as well!
Ingredients
stromboli
- 1 batch homemade pizza dough
- 1 1/2 cups goat (or cow's) mozzarella, sliced or shredded
- toppings to your taste (pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, black olives, etc)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water
dipping sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
- 1 quart tomato juice OR 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- Anything pureed you want to sneak in: Carrots, sweet potato, beets (not too much beet puree tho, that went over like a lead balloon here!), peas, etc
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (basil too if you'd like)
The dipping sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. Or, if you're like me, you make a big batch of italian-style tomato sauce and have it frozen in ice cube and/or pint-size portions to use for "make-your-own-pizza" school lunches, or to top angel hair pasta on busy nights.
Using a cast-iron skillet, warm the olive oil a bit over med-low heat. Add the garlic and saute until it is softened and your nose is getting the yummy waft of garlic. Add whatever form of tomatoes you are using and the herbs. If you are using tomato juice, you will have to cook it down a good bit. It takes time but needs to be only occasionally checked on, given a stir, so you can do other things, including quick runs outside to give the geese fresh water or maybe try to catch up on that library book that is almost due. At this point you can also make your other-veggies puree which can also be a good thickener for the sauce. Zap any of the veggies in the microwave and puree in the blender. Just use your judgement on how much to add, or if you are unsure, add a little bit of a time to be sure it "looks" ok!
Here's the part where the kids can help: time to put together the stromboli.
Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray or put a pizza stone in the cold over. Start the oven pre-heating to 400. In a small bowl or ramekin beat the egg and the water together, and get your brush out (or a spoon) so it's ready to go.
(That's where some of my stress-free comes in - if I get distracted by, what, one of a million little things, my brain does not have to worry about what I need next! Anything that can be prepped early helps.)
On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to a rectangle about 13 X 9 inches. Round up your toppings if you haven't already and distribute them all over the dough, leaving about an inch clear on the edges. Scatter or place (if sliced) the goat mozzarella generously over the other toppings.
Roll the dough up using the longer sides so the stromboli ends up a bit over a foot in length. Press the seam into the dough on top and ends, place on cookie sheet or pizza with the seam underneath. Give the egg wash another stir and brush it on the top of the stromboli (this will give it beautiful color).
Bake for about 20 minutes - the top should be golden brown. Allow it to cool slightly and then slice it into 1-inch pieces. (Or honestly, whatever thickness seems good to you!) Serve it with the dipping sauce and whatever veggie is most preferred in your household. Pour yourself a glass of red wine and enjoy it with the stromboli, or just wait to have it after the kids are in bed!
The final steps...
