Stromboli

I don’t know many food items that have been named after volcanoes… perhaps chocolate lava cake is the most familiar. Another is the “Stromboli” – an Italian rolled sandwich served warm.

Although there are many stories guessing the origins of the recipe, legend has it that the sandwich was invented around 1944 by Italian-Americans in Philadelphia. Purportedly, monks who lived on the Italian volcanic island known as Stromboli off the Sicilian coast, used to make stuffed bread to share with the impoverished sheep farmers who lived on the island.

Immigrants brought the recipe to America where it reemerged in Philadelphia. The spiciness of the sandwich needed an equally spicy name. Romano’s Pizzeria named their “stuffed pizza” after Ingrid Bergman’s spicy film of the same name: Stromboli. Bergman’s love affair with director Roberto Rossellini during the filming gave the Stromboli added intrigue and spice!

The recipe couldn’t be easier or more delicious. Italian cold cuts, cheese and roasted peppers are layered on top of pizza dough that has been slathered with pizza sauce. With similar ingredients to a “calzone,” the Stromboli is rolled up then baked, while a calzone is a folded turnover-shaped sandwich.

It’s a perfect solution for when you find yourself with extra pizza dough or sandwich meat! Feel free to substitute any cold cuts you prefer; mozzarella cheese can be swapped out for provolone or even American or Swiss; and if you’re not a big fan of roasted sweet peppers, just leave them out.

Looking for something a bit healthier? Put a layer of baby spinach on top of the cheese before rolling or totally swap out the cold cuts, opting for a fully vegetarian Stromboli. Any combination will be delicious! Of course, the Stromboli would be best if made with your own homemade pizza dough but any prepackaged pizza dough (even a tube of Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough) would work just fine. I’ll use that example below for the easiest recipe.

STROMBOLI
Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough
¾ cup pizza sauce
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning (or dried oregano)
12 slices of Italian salami
12 slices of Italian capicola
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (or about 6 slices of provolone)
½ cup roasted sweet peppers, drained and chopped
1 egg, beaten

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out your pizza dough on a sheet of parchment paper or non-stick foil into approximately a 10” by 13” rectangle. Spread the pizza sauce on top of the dough, leaving one long (13”) edge with about 2 inches clear of the sauce.

Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on the sauce, and arrange the 12 slices of salami on top. Do the same with the capicola and cheese, keeping the top edge clear. Scatter the roasted peppers on top and brush the clear edge with a little water.

Starting with the opposite long edge, tightly roll up the Stromboli into a log. The water on the top edge should help seal the sandwich. It’s okay if the side edges don’t seal as the cheese dipping out of the side of the baked sandwich is part of its “volcanic” charm!

Place the Stromboli – seam side down – on the parchment or nonstick foil. Lightly brush the top with the beaten egg which will help brown the crust.

With a sharp knife, make five shallow diagonal cuts into the top layer of dough, being careful not to slice completely through the dough.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool for about 5 minutes then use a serrated knife to cut it into slices - you can use the cuts you made on the top layer of dough as guidelines – this will give you six slices of Stromboli.

Put on some romantic Italian music or perhaps cuddle up to watch Ingrid Bergman’s Stromboli as you enjoy this delicious sandwich!