This thread about St. Louis, Chicago, and New York styles of pizza made me wonder about the different ways calzones are prepared. Where I grew up (Spokane), a calzone was a “pizza turnover” with mozzarella, ricotta, tomato (or marinara) sauce, and your choice of ingredients (sausage, pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms, etc.) all on the inside. For years, I assumed without question this was the way calzones are made. Yet, a few years ago while I was in Seattle, I ordered a calzone that was generally put together like the ones I ate in Spokane except there was no sauce on the inside. Instead, I got a separate cup of marinara sauce to dip bits of my “dry” calzone in. Needless to say, this was slightly jarring (although the calzone was still pretty good).
So, is the sauce supposed to be on the inside of a calzone or in a dipping dish on the outside? I prefer having the sauce on the inside but that’s just the way I grew up eating them. Is it possible my tastes were shaped by calzones that were prepared the “wrong” way?
never ever heard of having a dip with your Calzone - from my first in France 15 years ago through my time in Italy, about a year resident plus return visits, until my latest Calzone last month - made by a Sicilian in Paris - I repeat I have never seen or heard tell of a ‘dry’ Calzonze (although I know people who get very picky about how cooked the egg is - when included.)
I’ve never had a calzone as such. I have had ‘panzerottis’ that fit both criteria you mentioned, more often sauceless inside. (I’ve even homemade them like that, though it’s tough to keep the cheese from leaking out and bubbling up on the cookie sheet.)
I’ve never seen anything that really explains both words… calzone seems to be the word in the US, while panzerotti have been spotted, by me, in Canada and the UK.
Yes… with the ones I’m familiar with, you have a folded-over circle of dough, and cheese, meat, any other ‘toppings’ like peppers, mushrooms, pineapple etcetera inside. The cheese melts, so it isn’t quite ‘solid’ once the panzerotti/calzone is fresh out of the oven.
Really tasty. Hmmm… I’m almost wishing I had pizza makings here in the apartment. The pizza place across the street doesn’t offer calzones of any sort I think.
An Italian restaurant opened here recently, so we went. I had calzone, and it was as described above, just the meat and cheese inside the crust, no sauce - it came on the side. The last time I had one, years and years ago, it had the sauce inside. Maybe there are different regional preparations, that is, regional to Italy. Or not. Who knows? Do they even eat it there?
Yes they eat it there. I have had Calzone in the north (Veneto, Piedemont and Lombardy), served as I described above - no side sauce - to be honest I can’t remember if I had one further south but as I said our Sicilian pizza man up the road doesn’t serve a side sauce with his Calzone either.
I’ve had saucey calazone served with ranch or extra marinara for dipping. Calazone dipped in ranch is actually rather good, or creamy italian dressing.
I’ll second this experience: growing up and living in NYC and environs, I have never, ever seen a calzone that wasn’t “dry” with sauce on the side. (Which is good for me since the ricotta cheese is moist enough for me, I generally avoid the sauce except for the very ends that are all dough.)
I regularly get the chicken garlic alfredo calzone from the restaurant up the road. The inside is mozzerella, chicken, basil, garlic, and maybe something else, but that is the main stuff. Then there is the crust. You then pour the alfredo sauce over the top. Scrumptious.
Judging from the postings, it appears that the “proper” way to prepare calzone is without the sauce inside.
Here’s a related question. How is “calzone” supposed to be pronounced? I’ve always pronounced the “e” at the end but I’ve heard other people (most notably on an episode of “Seinfeld”) leave the “e” at the end of “calzone” silent. Is there a “right” way to say “calzone” or is either way acceptable?
The calzone I had in L.A. was from a place founded by Italians. It had sauce inside.
I was going to ask about pronunciation. The first time I had calzone (23 years ago) it was pronounced ‘cal-zone-eh’. But in L.A. and NoWA I hear it called ‘cal-zone’. Maybe the latter is Sicilian, and the former is more northern?
I live in Boston. Most of the calzone’s I’ve seen here have sauce on the inside. At one place, there’s sauce on the inside and they gave you a cup of marinara for dipping.
