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Calcioni
St. Nicolas' calzoni
Calzoni di San Nicola (baked; with fried onions, capers, olives and pecorino cheese)
Originated from: Puglia, Italy
Occasion: Feast Day of St. Nicolas (December 6th)
Contributed by: Taken from an Italian T.V. cooking show

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Ingredients

For crust
Fresh pizza dough (home-made or store-bought)

For filling
2 onions, chopped and lightly fried
1 1/2 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons black olives, chopped
3/4 cup grated pecorino cheese

about 3 tablespoons olive oil for frying onion

For brushing tops of cazoni
about 2 tablespoons olive oil



Directions

Fry onions until they are soft and golden. Remove from heat. Cool.

Mix fried onions with capers, olives and pecorino cheese.

On a floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll out pizza dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut 4 inch rounds of dough by using a cookie cutter or espresso cup saucer for measurement.

Place about a tablespoon of stuffing in the center of each round.

Fold over and seal edges with a fork.

Brush tops of calzoni with olive oil.

Bake in a moderate hot oven (about 375 F degrees) until the calzoni are golden brown (about 20 minutes).






Notes

Many households in Puglia make cheese-and-olive stuffed calzoni for December 6th, the Feast Day of Nicolas (San Nicola). According to legend St. Nicolas, Europe's Santa Claus, visits households on December 6th and leaves gifts for the children. The calzoni are made the day before and left on the table during the night so that when the saint visits (while the kids are sound asleep) he can feel welcomed.... Photo: Mary Melfi.

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