Culture Magazine

36 culturecheesemag.com C O O K I N G W I T H C H E E S E 202 3 SPICY SPINACH AND SAUSAGE CALZONES Written and styled by Molly Shuster Photographed by Lauren Volo Use good-quality store-bought dough and marinara to streamline the preparation of these savory turnovers. Makes 4 calzones 1 pound pizza dough Cornmeal, for dusting 1 tablespoon olive oil ¾ pound fresh spicy Italian sausage, casings removed 1½ cups ricotta ½ cup grated fontina 1 egg Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Flour for dusting 1 cup baby spinach 1 cup warm marinara sauce, for serving (optional) Bring pizza dough to room temperature (cold dough is harder to work with)—about 30 minutes on the counter should do it. Heat oven to 450°F and set a rack in the lower half of the oven. Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium- high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned through, about 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it up as you go. Set aside. Combine ricotta, fontina, and egg in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered, roll dough into ¼-inch-thick rounds on a floured surface. Place ¼ ricotta mixture, ¼ sausage, and ¼ spinach onto the bottom third of the dough, then fold dough over to secure the filling. Press the edges of the dough together to seal it, trim off any excess, and crimp the edges. Transfer to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Bake until golden and crispy, about 30 minutes. Serve hot with warm marinara sauce, if desired. BLACK BEAN–STUFFED PLANTAINS WITH SPICY CILANTRO SAUCE Written by Molly Shuster For a meatless twist on stuffed plantains, we've swapped in black beans for the traditional ground beef filling. A finishing drizzle of bright, spicy sauce amps up the color and flavor. Serves 6 PLANTAINS: 6 ripe but firm plantains (look for yellow skin with brown spots) 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped 1 medium tomato, finely chopped 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and very finely chopped 1 tablespoon lime juice (from ½ lime) Kosher salt, to taste SPICY CILANTRO SAUCE: 1 small bunch cilantro, rinsed and stems removed ½ cup loosely packed parsley leaves, rinsed and stems removed 1 small clove garlic, chopped ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes) 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 jalapeños, seeds removed and minced Kosher salt, to taste TO ASSEMBLE: 1 cup shredded Manchego ½ cup shredded fresh mozzarella PLANTAINS: Heat oven to 350°F. Trim the ends from the plantains. Using a paring knife, cut a slit down length of plantain, just deep enough to cut skin without slicing flesh. Peel back skin, remove flesh, and coat with oil. Tuck plantain back inside its skin and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining plantains. Bake until tender, about 40 to 45 minutes. Combine black beans, scallions, tomato, jalapeño, and lime juice in a small bowl. Add salt to taste. SPICY CILANTRO SAUCE: Add cilantro, parsley, garlic, lime juice, and olive oil to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Stir in jalapeños and season with salt. TO ASSEMBLE: When plantains are cool enough to handle, discard skins. Cut the flesh lengthwise about ²⁄ ³ of the way through the plantain to make a boat. Divide bean filling evenly among the plantains, and top with cheeses. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes, then broil for 1 to 2 minutes to brown the cheese, if desired. Drizzle spicy cilantro sauce over top and serve. Spicy Spinach and Sausage Calzones

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