Goat cheese, caramelized onion, and summer squash calzone

It's finally cooled down in Boston, so it's safe to turn on the oven again. As if on cue, my old college friend Randalle just turned out a goat cheese and summer squash pizza, which sounds delicious. What better homage can I pay than to steal this idea, mangle it until it's nearly unrecognizable, and backlink?

Anyway, I'm going to make a calzone.



The crust for this dish is the olive oil dough from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which is awesome (the dough and the book!). Note that you'll need to make the bread dough in advance—either the morning of the day you plan to eat the calzones or (better) at least the day before.

Goat cheese, caramelized onion, and summer squash calzone

• Two one-pound pieces olive oil dough
• 4 oz. chevre
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil (divided)
• 4 mixed small summer squash (I used Zephyr and zucchini)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 lemon, juiced (divided)
• 1 c. marinara sauce

Heat your oven to 450°F with a pizza stone on one rack (with clearance to work) and a baking tray on another. Be sure to allow at least half an hour after turning on the oven to heat the stone before you cook your calzones.

Trim and peel the onion, then cut it into crescents. Heat butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When the butter is melted and sizzling, add onions. Stir to coat, then heat until the onions start to sizzle. Reduce heat to low and cook the onions for half an hour or so, stirring only when the bottom layer of onions is caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, trim and clean the squash. Cut them into bite-sized dice; the specific size isn't important, as long as they're consistent. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a sauté pan, then cook the squash until tender. Add the garlic just as the squash starts to get tender and continue to cook until the garlic turns golden. Add half the lemon juice. Cook until liquid has reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the chevre with the other half of the lemon juice. Set aside.

Pull two one-pound pieces (approximately the size of a grapefruit) from your olive oil dough, one at a time. For each piece, dust the lump of dough with flour, then work it with your hands, pulling the outer surface of the ball around it to the bottom. Do not knead.

When each piece is worked, set it on a floured surface. Use a floured rolling pin or your hands to spread the piece into a round about 1/8" thick, keeping the surface floured so the dough doesn't stick. If the dough will not roll this thin, let it sit on the surface for a few minutes, then try again.

Once you have both rounds, divide the chevre mixture in half. For each round, spread the chevre over half the surface, leaving about an inch of border. Top with half the onions and half the squash mixture.

Brush water around the entire perimeter of the round, then fold over and crimp with your fingers to seal. Transfer the calzones onto the hot stone with a peel. (If you remember which is which, put the cheese side up, so it melts down into the vegetables during cooking.) Add a cup of hot tap water to the baking tray after the calzones (watch out for the steam!) and close the door quickly. Cook for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden-brown and puffy. Serve immediately with heated marinara sauce.