Eggplant Calzones

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   1.

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   Preheat your oven to 450 degrees (F).

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   I place the dough on top of the warming oven (on an unused burner) to rise while the oven is heating up.

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   2.

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   Peel your eggplant and slice into rounds.

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   Brush with olive oil and grill in batches until cooked through, about 5 minutes per batch.

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   I use a panini maker, but an outdoor grill would be even faster.

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   After they have been grilled, roughly chop and place into a bowl.

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   Combine with the salt, oregano, crushed tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

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    Set aside.

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    3.

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    Your dough should have risen enough by now.

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    Punch it down and separate into 2 balls.

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    Let it rest on the counter covered by a damp cloth for about 15 minutes.

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    Then separate each ball into 4 balls, and each of those in half.

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    You should now have 16 even sized balls of dough.

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    4.

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    Bring one ball of dough in front of you and keep the rest covered with the damp cloth.

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    Roll out the ball, using extra flour as needed.

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    Place a good scoop of your eggplant mixture into the bottom half of the rolled out dough.

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    Fold the dough over and pinch all around the seams.

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    I like to roll the seam together to make the calzone look nicer.

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    Brush with olive oil and cut an X into the center to allow steam to exit.

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    Repeat with each ball of dough.

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    Place 6 calzones on an oiled cookie sheet at a time.

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    Bake in the oven until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is slightly bubbling outside of the X, about 15 minutes.

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    Remove and repeat until you have cooked all of the calzones.

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    Enjoy!

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.