Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Artichoke, Ricotta, and Chickpea Calzone | Italian Kitchen


Calzones make for a hearty and filling snack in a picnic basket or an entree for a meal on a hot platter. I love making calzones as they are so easy to put together, can be refrigerated for up to three days and taste super hot or cold!! Just add a salad and a cup of milk and you are good to go.

I made the dough for the calzone covering with a combination of atta (Indian Chappati Flour) and whole wheat whole grain flour. This adds to the nutritive value of the meal and as the filling is low fat this recipe makes for a very healthy calzone indeed!

Ingredients:
1 cup atta (Indian Chappati Flour)
1 cup whole grain whole wheat flour
1 tsp vital wheat gluten
1 cup milk, warmed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Italian Herbs
2 tsp yeast


For the Filling:
1 can chickpeas, drained and washed
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp capers
1 green chili, minced
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin


Method:
  1. First prepare the filling by heating the oil in a large non stick pan. Add the ground cumin, then the onions and garlic. Fry till the onions are transparent.
  2. Now add the chickpeas and green chilies. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the chopped artichoke, capers, and black pepper. Stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Now stir in the cream cheese and the ricotta cheese. Cook about 2-3 minutes. Turn of the heat and cool completely.
  4. Now prepare the dough by sifting the flours together with the vital wheat gluten and the salt. Add the Italian herbs and mix well.
  5. Stir the sugar into the warm milk, then sprinkle over with the yeast. Cover and allow to proof for 5 minutes.
  6. Pour the proofed yeast into the dough with half of the olive oil. Make a soft dough, pour in the rest of the oil and knead for about ten minutes.
  7. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover and allow to proof for about an hour or until it had doubled.
  8. Punch down the dough and divide into 5 equal parts. Roll into discs of 6" diameter.
  9. Place some filling on one half of the circle, fold the free half over the filled one, seal the edges using water and a fork.
  10. Place on a prepared baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven at 325 F.
  11. Remove from the oven, cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes.
  12. Enjoy warm with your favourite condiments.
Good to Know
  • The canned chickpeas, capers, artichokes, and cheese all have salt. There no need for additional salt in the filling recipe.
  • If you like a more spicy filling, add more black pepper or green chilies.
Like this recipe. Tried it. Leave me a comment:) 

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2 comments:

  1. Hi ! A lovely healthy calzone smiling naughtily(the last picture) in my inbox! I loved the use of atta and whole grain and the filling with so many vegetables, ricotta cheese and cream cheese.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Generally calzone are loaded with hard cheese and made with white flour, just like pizza bases. I always try to use whole wheat flour in my baking and I just love fat free ricotta - it makes the dish creamy with any of the unnecessary fat.

    ReplyDelete

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