Pizza Today - September 2020 - 41

The Great Calzone

I

n Atlantic City this year, the
calzone will officially enter
the competition realm. At
Pizza & Pasta Northeast
2020, the calzone competition is set
to make its debut. It's interesting
the reverberating effects that these
competitions have. Pizzeria owners see other restaurants' styles on
display, which in turn paves the way
for inspiration and intrigue to go
back to their pizzeria and see what
can be created. Steel sharpens steel,
great ideas lead to great ideas, and
I'm excited to see those results.
What constitutes a calzone,
and how is it not a Stromboli?
I've made calzones since day one
of my pizzeria Andolini's. I love
calzones, and I also love Stromboli.
There are definite differences. Calzones exist in Naples; they're as old
as pizza. Stromboli is an American
invention from Philadelphia. The
namesake inspired from the movie
Stromboli, starring Ingrid Bergman.
Calzone has its roots in Naples. If
you go to any Naples pizzeria today,
a calzone will be on the menu. The
word calzone is loosely translated to
"pants legs," which means that it's
the type of food ideal for to-go eating. Classic Napoletana pizza, with
its oozing sauce, does not lend itself
to grab and go.
A great calzone has several other
distinguishing factors - the stuffed
ingredients, of course, but also the
fold, the size and the bake. I like
selling a larger calzone, as it gets
the price for the item in a realm
that makes more sense. And I can
charge for it, as much as an extralarge pizza. So, we do a 16-inch

calzone.
All of our calzones have ricotta,
sliced sausage that we make
in-house, with a folded braid technique closer and extra-virgin olive
oil on top, so that when it bakes, it
comes out golden. We cut it three
times in the shape of a chicken foot,
so each slice comes out triangular.
The key to a proper close of a
calzone is in the rolling braid. I've
seen the pinch, where it's closed off
by putting your thumb and index
finger together. I've also seen the
fork on the edge closure, mashing
the dough to become one. I think
a solid braid lends itself to not just
being aesthetically pleasing, but
also ensuring that no product leaves
the calzone during the bake as the
dough rises.
Other ways to make the calzone your own, include deepfrying it, to create a calzone
fritti. This method is popular in
Apulia, Italy, and is sometimes
referred to as panzerotti.
A smaller calzone may be more
necessary than ever before. In the
COVID world that we now live
in, smaller box lunches are not just
a good idea; they're mandatory
for many businesses when they
order lunch. Companies don't want
people sharing things, which throws
a wrench in the pizza industry as a
whole. Getting around a table and
everyone eating off the same pan
to share a pizza is the backbone
of what we do. That's all out the
window now. To compete against
the Panera's and Chipotle's of the
world, personal pizzas, or moreover
individual calzones, can be some-

Make the dish
your own
thing that gets your lunch game
back into the competitive spectrum.
Obviously, these would not be the
16-inch large form version that I
referenced earlier, but more of a sixto nine-inch version.
A calzone does not need or is
not mandated to have any one
particular topping inside of it. I
choose to have ricotta in all of
mine, but again, it's entirely up to
you whether it's heavy on the meats,
multiple kinds of cheese or a variety
of vegetables. Depending on your
demographic, having a calzone that
lends itself to each demo makes
you more apt to reach higher
sales. I have a vegan Calzone that
doesn't outsell my other calzones,
but is very popular in the vegan
community and sets us apart for
having vegan-friendly items. Egg
and sausage calzones give you the
ability to feed a morning crew and
get a head start on sales for the day.
Spinach ricotta calzones can come
off just healthy enough to feel like
a smart choice for health-conscious
customers.
I created my most successful
calzone as a goof (it was a reference
to Seinfeld). In 2016, I watched
an old Seinfeld episode in which
George Costanza's boss, the Yankees' George Steinbrenner, barked
at him to go to his favorite pizzeria
and get him a calzone. Steinbrenner
told him to get him the one with
the eggplant and the pepperoni.
So I made a fried eggplant, pepperoni, sliced sausage and ricotta
calzone. I call it The Steinbrenner.
This calzone went on to become my
most popular calzone. It tastes great
on its own, and the heightened

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Pizza Today - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - September 2020

Pizza Today - September 2020
Commentary
Digital
Conversation
Mike’s Monthly Tip
Building Blocks
Tony’s Trending Recipe
Knead to Know
Destinations
Customer Data
Unemployment
Limited-time Offers
Saying “Thanks”
Calzones
Fall Preview Menu
Non-traditional Pizza Favorites
Pizza Dough Uses
Pizza & Pasta Northeast Preview
Mac’s Dough House, Louisville, KY
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - September 2020 - CT1
Pizza Today - September 2020 - CT2
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Pizza Today - September 2020
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Cover2
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Commentary
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 4
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 5
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 6
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 7
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Digital
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 9
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Conversation
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 11
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Mike’s Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 13
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 14
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 15
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Building Blocks
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 17
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Tony’s Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 19
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 21
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 22
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 23
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Destinations
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 25
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Customer Data
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 27
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 28
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 29
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Unemployment
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 31
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 32
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 33
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Limited-time Offers
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 34A
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 34B
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 35
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 36
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 37
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Saying “Thanks”
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 39
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Calzones
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 41
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 42
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 43
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Fall Preview Menu
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 45
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 46
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 47
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Non-traditional Pizza Favorites
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 49
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 50
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 51
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Pizza Dough Uses
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 53
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 54
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 55
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Pizza & Pasta Northeast Preview
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 57
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 58
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 59
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Mac’s Dough House, Louisville, KY
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 61
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 62
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 63
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 65
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 67
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 68
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 69
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 70
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 71
Pizza Today - September 2020 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 73
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 74
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 75
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 76
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 77
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 78
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 79
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 80
Pizza Today - September 2020 - 81
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Pizza Today - September 2020 - Cover3
Pizza Today - September 2020 - Cover4
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