Brad Fenson
Calzones are versatile, allowing you to add any ingredient you like to it. This time of year, with garden vegetables needing to be eaten, a calzone is a great way to use ingredients you already have on hand. With deer season approaching, make room in your deep freeze by cooking what’s left from last season’s harvest. Ground venison is a must-have in a hunter’s freezer because it’s so easy to prepare and is applicable in many different dishes.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground venison
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 15 oz. can pizza sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp cornmeal
- 1 package (13 to 16 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust dough
- Italian seasoning
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large Camp Chef cast iron skillet over medium heat and add ground venison, onion, salt, and pepper and cook 8 to 10 minutes to brown the meat.
2. Stir in pizza sauce, oregano, and green chilies, and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until liquid has evaporated.
3. Stir half of the mozzarella cheese into the meat mixture and set aside to cool.
4. Sprinkle cornmeal evenly over a rimmed baking sheet or Camp Chef cast iron pizza pan. Roll out the pizza dough lengthwise on a baking sheet, straightening edges of dough if necessary. Spoon the meat filling over long half of dough, leaving a 1-inch border on three sides. Sprinkle the remainder of the mozzarella cheese over the meat. Gently lift and pull the top half of dough over filling to enclose and pinch dough edges to seal. Cut slits in the top of the dough to allow steam to escape while cooking.
5. Brush the top of the calzone with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
6. Bake in 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let the calzone cool for 5 minutes, then cut crosswise into eight slices. Serve hot.
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