Pumpkins aren’t just for carving at Halloween you know?! They can also be used to make the most incredible pumpkin seed topped calzone! Spicy and comorting in equal measure, this is great for the spooky season but so good you’ll make it all year round.
1. For the Pumpkin Filling;
- Place a pan on a stove top and melt the butter with a lug of olive oil over a medium heat. Add the sliced shallot, a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes or until softened and then add the pumpkin.Continue to cook, stirring regularly for a couple of minutes.
- Pour the chicken stock into the pan and cover with a lid. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin turns soft then remove the lid and add the sugar and vinegar.
- Stir well to mix and leave to cool slightly before mashing and adding the provolone. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool before covering and refrigerating for up to 3 days.
1. For the Calzone;
- To make the calzone, open the dough ball into a pizza skin- slightly smaller than you would for a pizza as we don’t want it too thin.
- Spoon in a line of pumpkin across the centre- around 3 tbsp, and tear over the nduja and mozzarella. Make sure to leave a border of around 4cm around the outside.
- Fold the dough over towards you and use the butt end of a pizza wheel to stick the dough together all the way round- it should look like a classic calzone or Cornish pasty at this point!
- Cut the excess dough away from the crimped edge so you’re left with a beautiful looking sealed parcel and pierce the top 2 or 3 times with a skewer to allow the steam to escape.
- Slide the calzone onto a floured placement peel and launch into the front third of the oven. Bake, rotating as required, for around 2-3 minutes.
- As soon as the calzone comes out of the oven brush with the melted butter, sprinkle over the toasted pumpkin seeds and serve.
Ingredients
For the pumpkin filling;
8oz Peeled, chopped pumpkin
1 Shallot, finely sliced
1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
100ml Chicken Stock
½ Tsp Soft Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Sherry Vinegar
2oz Grated Gruyere (optional)
For each calzone;
1 Neapolitan Pizza Dough Ball
2 Tbsp Nduja
3 Tbsp Pumpkin Filling
1 ½ oz Mozzarella
2 Tbsp Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Melted butter for brushing