Tonight is the first game of the World Series featuring my team, the good ole Boston Red Sox! Oh you didn’t know I was a Sox fan? Now ya do! And those terrorists thought they could bring Boston down? Not a chance! If anything, what happened at the marathon helped unite the city and maybe inspired the Red Sox to make it all the way! As Big Poppi said, “it’s our bleeping series!”

As a New Englander, I was born and raised a Red Sox fan. I was a young tomboy and was usually clad in a pair of overalls, and my beloved Red Sox cap that my dad gave me, I think because secretly he was wishing I was a boy, since my little brother Andrew had yet to arrive. But that’s okay, because the seed was planted and I have loved baseball ever since. We used to go see the Pawtucket Red Sox a bunch but it was never as fun, or as expensive, as a trip to Fenway Park. 

I would sit above the Red Sox dugout and hang my glove (I was a softball player back then) from a string with my ball and a pen inside of it, just in case any of the players wanted to give me an autograph! I don’t actually think I ever got one, but that was okay. I was close enough to third base and to my crush, Tim Naehring.

It was the early 90’s and the Red Sox roster was off the hook. Think Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, John Valentin, Mo Vaughn, Mike Greenwell, Jack Clark, and my favorite, the cutie, Tim Naehring. I was obsessed and I made my Ma order NESN, the New England Sports Network, just so that I could watch all of the away games too. That was a good summer and time well spent in front of the TV! I don’t ever think I thanked my Ma, then single and on a budget, for paying those extra dollars so I could get my fill of baseball, so thank you Ma!

When I moved to Chicago in 2002, and met Andy, the die-hard Cubs fan, we started going to Wrigley Field to watch the games. It felt like home again. There aren’t many stadiums that give you that old-school feel, but Wrigley, like Fenway, does it for me. Wrigley, know as “The Friendly Confines” was built in 1914, just three years after Fenway, or “The Cathedral of Boston,” was built. They both look old, have smelly bathrooms, are located in the middle of the city and have die-hard fans. No seriously, don’t mess with us and say you’re a Yankees fan cause we’ll kick you out of the bar! Who grows up a New Englander and roots for New York anyway? Dumb and dumber if you do!

 

So, needless to say, I am excited for tonight.. and especially since it’s on TV and on a channel I actually get! It’s hard living in California; no Celtics, no Bruins, no Patriots… you get the point! And I’m making a special Sheila-inspired (my Ma) meal called a calzone and maybe I’ll have a Sam Adams too! Na, more like a Sauvignon Blanc!

You haven’t had a calzone before?? Oh my, you don’t know what you’re missing! My Ma is literally known for these. People request them at parties and she brings them, even if she is sick of making them… my Ma is one of the best cooks I know. One of these days I’ll post her Fettuccine Alfredo.. it’s off the hook!

Traditionally an Italian calzone is a folded pizza shaped like a half-moon, and stuffed with tomatoes, mozzarella, other ingredients and red sauce. My Ma makes her with lots of Italian meats and cheeses and of course, I make mine vegetarian! Instead of red sauce though, I’m using my pesto that I made just last week, and in place of fresh tomatoes I’m using sun-dried, and I’m skipping out on the cheese entirely. You can use any ingredients you want, but this is what I had left in the refrig and you know I just can’t waste produce! Plus, I want to eat this without the guilt! 

Spinach Calzone- serves 2 or more 

Ingredients:

-1/2 lb pizza dough (I used Trader Joe’s whole wheat but you can use a gluten-free variety if you need it)

-an 8 oz. bag of spinach 

-1/2 red pepper, chopped finely

-1/2 green pepper, chopped finely

-1/2 cup crimini mushrooms

-1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

-1 small yellow squash

-1 baby eggplant 

-1/2 red onion

-5 cloves garlic, minced

-3 T Niccola’s pesto

-Italian seasoning

-salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large sauté pan, cook the spinach with a bit of olive oil. Place the spinach in a strainer until it cools. Using your hands, ring out the spinach, so that all the remaining water releases. This way you won’t have a soggy calzone!

2. Chop up all the vegetables and place in a large bowl. Add the pesto, some salt and pepper, and mix well.

3. Roll out the pizza dough, using some flour, and try not to make it too thin.

4. Start to layer your vegetables on top of the dough, placing the spinach in between so it’s not directly at the bottom or top. Again, this is so your calzone won’t be soggy!

5. Sprinkle some Italian seasoning on top.

6. Either fold your calzone in a half-moon shape, or fold it like an envelope if you have a lot of extra dough.

7. Lightly brush some of the beaten egg over the seals to ensure the calzone doesn’t open while it’s cooking.

8. Flip the calzone over and place on an un-greased baking sheet or on your pizza stone, like me, for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden.

9. Manga calzone!