Just so you all don’t think that cooking in my house is always “perfect”, I offer the following evidence.

On Saturday night, two daring experimental food scientists entered the food prep area (kitchen).  They had heard of an Italian savory pastry called “Stromboli”.  After investigating recipes on the internet for hours, they were saddened that their desires to “up the flavor level” had not been met.  Too many references to “pizza sauce and pepperoni”  left them thinking it was a rolled up pizza. Though they were still somewhat intrigued by the idea of a “rolled up pizza”, they believed that Stromboli could be so much more.  They set out to test this hypothesis.

They would need:

olive oil, for the saute

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 lb of Baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped

3 small sweet pepper, diced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbs fresh basil (how to have it year round here)

2 tbs sun dried tomato jam (how to make your own here)

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1-1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2  Trader Joe 1 lb ready to use pizza crusts (one whole wheat, one garlic and herb) combined

5 oz hot Italian seasoned salami, thinly sliced

12 thin slices of smoked ham, thinly sliced

shredded mozzarella and parmesan, as needed

Slowly sauteed veggies

In a cast iron skillet;

Chopped vegetables were sauteed in olive oil, until onions and vegetables were sweet and beginning to caramelize.  Herbs and spices were then added along with salt, pepper and a slight sprinkling of balsamic vinegar.  They were removed from heat and allowed to cool.

Preheat oven to 375F:

The combined pizza dough was allowed to rest and then spread on a quarter sheet cake pan.  The cooled vegetables were spooned over the surface, followed by the salami and ham slices.  Cheese was then sprinkled over other toppings.

Our scientists then wondered how do we roll it up??  Good time to figure that out huh!  Using a large spatula (used to serve fish), our duo carefully rolled up the experiment.  (Whew!)  It was placed in the oven and baked for 35 minutes until crust was golden brown.  The smell was heavenly.  Our scientists were hopeful (and drooling).

It was thought that allowing the “Stromboli” to cool was best.  This would avoid any problems of the crust being too tender when cut and mouths being burned.  (There was also more drooling.)

After 20 minutes, and using a bread knife, the Stromboli was cut into 1 inch slices and sampled.  Many smiles appeared around the dish.  In less than 10 minutes, only a few scraps were left.  It was determined more work was needed on perfecting the assembly, but the internal filling was sublime.  NOTE:This is not a permanent post.  It shall be updated after further experimentation. (See improved version here) Keep your taste buds happy!

Our test results…..yum!