Stromboli Sandwich

 

The United States is a country permeable to the culinary influences of the immigrants who populate it. As a result of this mixture we have the Tex-Mex cuisine typical of the southwestern states, the Cajun of Louisiana or the Italian-American cuisine of the east coast. Macaroni and cheese, enchiladas, tacos, pizzas, burritos and other specialties originating from Mexico and Italy would not be as well known to the world without their continued appearance in Hollywood movies.

The Stromboli is a clearly Italian recipe but created in the United States in the 50s of the last century. Although there are several disputes about who or when it was created, it is clear that it is a variation of the pizza in a "rolled" format. Like pizza, stromboli admits multiple ingredients and preparations as long as it is possible to "roll" them inside the dough. What is immovable is the use of pizza dough.

INGREDIENTS (4 people):

• 1 large fresh or frozen thin pizza sheet, square if possible
• 1 egg
• Fried tomato (half a cup, 100ml)
• 200 grams (7 oz) of grated mozzarella cheese
• 200 grams  (7 oz) of sliced ​​ham
• Sliced ​​olives
• Basil
• Salt
• Pepper

We spread the thawed dough on a flat surface and cover it with a thin layer of fried tomato. Next, sprinkle the mozarella, the basil and the slices of York ham on top. We slowly roll the dough so that in each turn we place the filleted olives so that they are better distributed.

We close the ends of the roller that we have made. We paint the outside with the egg so that it is golden when baked.

We preheat the oven to 220 degrees (428 F). We introduce the dough and, be careful, we bake until it is browned but without making the dough stiff or excessively crunchy since then we cannot cut it into slices. This is important because if you start experimenting with different fillings, you will not be able to rely on the oven for those ingredients that require a longer cooking time (meats, sausages, fresh mushrooms etc). These ingredients with a longer baking time should be cooked separately and added to the Stromboli.

Once the roll has browned and is still flexible, we extract it and cut it into thick slices to be consumed as if it were conventional sandwiches.

If you prefer to serve it as a normal meal, it is usually made in small pizza bases - individual - and covered with tomato sauce sprinkled with a little basil.