It never ceases to amaze me the differences in common foods between here on the west coast versus the east coast, where I spent a good portion of my childhood. I say “Stromboli” as I’m sitting in a deli in a Philadelphia suburb and everyone knows what the hell I’m talking about. I say “Stromboli” here in Los Angeles and I get blank stares, with maybe a more cleverer response of, “Isn’t that the nutjob puppetmaster from Pinocchio?”

The most accurate, recognizable description I can give to Stromboli-newbs is something akin to a Hot Pocket – though it pains me to compare such a delicious treat to something so foul. Essentially, it is whatever-you-wish in the way of meats and/or veggies and/or cheese and/or sauce wrapped up in a delicious dough pastry (savory, not sweet). It was the only meal that could get me through a Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations marathon without being inspired to inhale the entire contents of my kitchen.

The Dough
adapted from Bon Appetite via epicurious

You can buy the dough prepacked if you want. My experience with making the dough myself versus buying pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe’s boils down to ease versus taste. Believe it or not, making it from scratch has been easier than dealing with elasticity issues from store-bought dough. However, there is something about the Trader Joe pizza dough that warms my palate a bit more. To each their own, but here is the dough instructions along with pictures in case you prefer to make your own.

Ingredients
3/4 cup warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 cups (or more) all purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

salt, olive oil, sugar, yeat, unbleached flour

Pour warm water into small bowl and stir in yeast.
Let it stand until yeast dissolves (roughly 5 minutes)
Lightly brush a large bowl with olive oil

olive oil, large bowl

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor.
Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil.
Process until dough forms a sticky ball.

the greatest invention: the food processor

Transfer dough to a surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead the dough until it feels smooth – feel free to add flour by the tablespoon if dough is too sticky.

lightly floured surface

Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, and move it around to make sure it is evenly coated with the oil.

grease ‘im up!

Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume (approx. 1 hour).

Rise, my pretty, rise!

When the dough has doubled, punch that sucka down. Show him who is boss.

Notes
- This dough is pretty crispy. For a doughier recipe, uh, go look elsewhere because I haven’t experimented enough yet. I’ll update this recipe when I have developed a doughier dough, though.
- The dough can be made one day in advance, just be sure to store it in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Stromboli
adapted from martha stewart

Now, the dough recipe I gave you can either make one giant-ass Stromboli or two decent, personal-pig-out size Stromboli. I divvied mine up, so my recipe reflects that.

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

- On a lightly floured surface, roll your dough out in a more oval-than-round shape – about 6×8 inches if you have the patience.

- Layer your filling from largest ingredient to smallest. For example, pictured below is my Stromboli layered with pineapple chunks, asparagus and sliced mushrooms.

Veggie Stromboli <3

- Lastly, add your cheese, and then your sauce (I used Trader Joe jarred pizza sauce, but I have made my own in the past)

Starting at the shorter end, roll up each Stromboli and tuck in the ends like a burrito. Place each Stromboli seam side down on parchment sheet lined cookie sheet. Score the top with 2-3 slits and brush dough with olive oil.

yeah, it gets kinda messy

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until dough is golden.

I recommend slicing into two and letting it cool before eating.

My veggie Stromboli (left) & Manik’s pepperoni Stromboli (right)

NOTES
- Do not use foil. I don’t give a damn what Martha says, she’s wrong. Parchment paper is your best friend in this recipe and will save you a lot of headache.
- Other tasty ingredients to try: fresh basil, Alfredo sauce, Genoa salami, sliced & pre-cooked zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, cheddar, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, garlic, shallots, caramelized onions, artichoke hearts, olives, fresh spinach, broccoli, baked apples with cheddar cheese, BBQ chicken.