Hawaiian Style Aloha Calzones

I could probably dedicate an entire blog to fermentation.

My family teases that I'm one of the few girls in the world that thinks fermentation is sexy.

Sourdough starters make me giddy and I can tell by one wonderful sniff, the difference between a French and Italian sourdough.

I am addicted to Bulgarian yogurt and make kraut in 5 litre batches. We brew beer, make obstler and scrumpy. I mean, why wouldn't we?

The first time I made kraut for Tsunami, he was utterly speechless and questioned whether or not we'd actually be able to eat that much sauerkraut by ourselves. He looked at me with total disbelief and said, "So... sauerkraut is actually a pickle??!"  Oh, yea baby. It's a pickle!

Me, I could only snicker at him, knowing that he'd never had real sauerkraut before... I mean, not like THIS sauerkraut. My sauerkraut is the real deal.

First time he tried it, he was blown away and as we literally fought over who would get to finish the very last bit left we were eating straight out of the jar with chopsticks.  He then joked that perhaps we need to move up to our 10 litre crock just to make sure we had enough next time. You know, to keep the family peace and all.

I had such a good Italian starter going in New Zealand that I used it in trade with my girlfriends who were just toying with sauerkrauts and kimchi. I even had a kimchi maker from China that could be used for making sake, kimchi, annatto and yogurt that I traded for an Asian pear tree. I mean, I love my gadgets but I also know that I didn't need another device just for those things. Novel, though, and I loved it.

You kinda get the picture...

So when our kids were here for the summer, we made plenty of hot sauce, pickles, bread, cinnamon rolls, buttermilk waffles and pancakes, you name it. And of course, pizza. But not just any pizza...pizza made from my certified sourdough starter from Naples, Italy.

Used for generations to make their world renown pizzas, it was now a staple in my own house. And although no one in my house really knows why, or can quite put their finger on it, my homemade pizzas are money.... and so are my calzones. Our youngest son says he can no longer eat store bought frozen pizzas; he was ruined. No small wonder, though.

Kind of a huge deal for me because when we first started eating pizzas together, they were so skeptical about a homemade pizza that I had to have a backup dinner planned just in case it didn't fly. But fly, it sure did. And now, it's not only the norm, it's a pretty frequent request and it's why it's super easy for me to maintain my very healthy, very active starter.

When I make pizzas, they each get their own. And while this may seem extravagant, the truth is it is also another family peace-keeper. 3 man-children can devour 6 14 inch pizzas in no time. I take the made-to-order pie requests and Tsunami preps the pizza fixings. And the pizza buffet is in full swing.

Tonight however, we were feeling the calzone spirit and opted for this kinda sourdough love instead. It was such a huge success that calzones are the new backpack lunch of choice on the long flights we take to and from the mainland. And it's also become a beach lunch staple, left to heat up in their foil packets on top of the cooler while we do our beach things. (But don't leave them too close to your dog because they like them, too. lol!)

This dough was made with my Italian Camaldoli sourdough starter and left in the fridge for well over a week. Aged dough or fermented dough is outstanding and I never worry about making too much because it keeps and develops even more flavor if it's allowed time to do so.

It also freezes beautifully so even when it's just Tsunami and myself, I always make a double batch and freeze some. In fact, I will freeze calzones whole, uncooked of course, using my FoodSaver vacuum sealer. Makes a quick dinner a snap if you are in the mood for something like that.

Here's how I roll:

1 cup of starter
1 tbsp of salt
6 c of flour
2 tsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 plus 1/3 cup warm water

I made 4 calzones, 2 large pizzas and it was so freaking good we were almost sad we were so proactive in putting the other two in the fridge. (These, didn't even make it to the freezer they were destined for as someone in my house had planned for another calzone round later in the week.)

We made meat lover's and Hawaiian. The Hawaiian is one of Tsunami's favorite styles of pizza and this one was pretty freaking special given that we made it with our first white pineapple grown in our mini pineapple field in the back papaya grove. I mean, I had hoped... but having recently had another pineapple from a plant grown close by, I thought it would be the Hawaiian Gold. Which, sorry, is nothing to sneeze at and no matter how much you love your Dole...homegrown, ripened and ready fresh pineapple is an absolute wonder of nature. God's food, no doubt about it.

So imagine my utter delight when I opened the fridge to discover that Tsunami had cut up and prepped the pineapple for our pizza lover's feast. It was white. White?! Omg. I squeaked out an indecipherable bunch of mouse chatter over my excitement and quickly snagged a bite. Freaking delightful! Fragrant, perfumey but not overly syrupy sweet. Perfect!

Just in case you aren't familiar, Hawaiian style pizza or calzone toppings goes something like this:

• pineapple chunks
• jalapeno slices
• red onion slices
• ham, bacon, canadian bacon or char siu (something porky; char siu is easy to find on the island)
• spam (yep, here the Hawaiians are just mad about spam but that's not my jam)

Really, you can do anything you like but a Hawaiian style definitely has pineapple regardless of which type of meat you use or don't.

And if you ever get a chance to have or use white pineapple, you should definitely give it a go. Rule of the thumb for gaging a pineapple's ripeness is that if you can smell it, it's ready. And something kinda cool to know is that white pineapple, you can eat the whole thing, including the core as it is sweet and edible, just like the rest of the pineapple flesh you normally eat.

We let none of it go to waste and once a pineapple has flowered and fruited, it will fruit again but it will also multiply! So from one little pineapple, an entire pineapple field will emerge! Pineapple tops can be successfully rooted and grown into full blown pineapple plants to also create a whole pineapple family. Pineapple pups will come from a fruited mommy plant. Where once I only had a handful of plants, I now have a field. If only I can get my lawn guy to avoid them with the lawn mower and weedwacker, all will be right in the Universe.

So even if you don't think you can grow pineapple, you should definitely try it anyway.

And if that's just too much crazy, then just eat it like a Boss.

Oh, and if you need to know how to cook it, just do it like I do the other pizzas I've posted about. I roll out the dough and in the case of calzones, I will fill it then bake at 450 F until golden brown. Usually about 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. If you are making a pizza, then I roll it out let it rise and then prebake it for 7 minutes. Add sauce and toppings then bake at 450 for about 12-15 minutes at 450 F. This is just a guide, as you know, so a lot depends on what style you are making (Calzone or pizza, say), how thick of a crust you've rolled and how dark you like your crust and cheese.

One other idea I forgot to mention is that these calzones.... are great deep fried!

Bad to the Bone Naturally Fermented Sauerkraut

I won't even go into how much sauerkraut I can consume. It's like on a scale... and that's because my normal method of making sauerkraut involves fermenting my veggies in very large Harsch-style fermentation crocks made by Gartopf.

And I have obtained these beautiful vessels and made an enormous amount of sauerkraut over the years because Fall often brings an abundance of cabbage. Whether grown at home in the garden or picked up like irresistible vegetable magnets at some beautiful farmer's market veggie stand, I can never resist the urge to preserve it all for later consumption when fresh greens are less abundant.

10L and 15L crocks make a pretty decent amount of pickled anything, whether it's dill pickles, pickled hot peppers, sauerkraut, kimchi, whatever. It's a lot.  And when they are full, they are heavy. Like, you might strain yourself if you try to lift them. That kinda heavy...

For instance, if you have 15 or more lbs of cabbage, then the larger, traditional glazed clay crocks are the way to go. They aren't cheap and can run anywhere from $85 to over $200, but it's definitely how you want to make a larger batch.

But lo and behold, I stumbled upon this little fermentation container known as the Crazy Korean Kimchi maker. Or something like that. But this company makes them in every size you will ever need.

What I love about this one is that it is fridge-size. If you've ever made kimchi before, you know that it's a fridge or cool cellar, kind of affair. Me, I've always made my kimchi in a click clack style food container that I kept in the fridge. An airtight, container, mind you. Understating it politely, kimchi can be rather aromatic. Especially to those untrained in the ways of kimchi. lol! I love that kind of intense, sucker punch of flavor, for real but not really loving a cheesecake with a hint of kimchi...

Having said that, I love anything naturally fermented. I drink fermented tea, keep sourdoughs, brew beer, kombucha, dabble in charcuterie, cheese. You get the crazy picture... That is to say, I am fascinated by this old fashioned preservation method that has become all but lost and is now considered by most to be a hobby instead of a life or death necessity of feeding the family throughout the winter.

So when I saw this contraption a few years ago on Amazon while looking for a new glass kimchi jar, I had to have it. It seemed ingenious.

Easier to refrigerate and the best part of it is that it has it's own flexible airlock layer that naturally vents the fermentation gases. No weights and no mess or fuss with your fermented vegetables not staying beneath the fermenting brining liquid. That sometimes leads to mold or off flavors and this handy little all in one box does it all and does it very well.

Not one to settle for single-taskers in the kitchen, I wanted to test drive it with a few smaller batch ferments I needed to do recently. For one, I used it to speed up a chili pepper ferment for a microbrew of hot sauce. It was outstanding and the ferment was so perfect after 2 weeks, I could complete the hot sauce I was making with the fermented peppers.

On to bigger and better culinary experiments.

Here's the way I used it for making my first batch of bad-to-the-bone sauerkraut. And yes, at my house, that's now a thing....

Bad to the Bone Sauerkraut Ingredients:
cabbage, sliced thinly with a knife or mandolin slicer
pink Himalayan salt

Brining ratio, if necessary:
2 c water
2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 tbsp pink Himalayan salt

1. Slice the cabbage thinly and layer on the bottom of whatever vessel you are using for your ferment. It could be a ceramic or glass jar.
2. Sprinkle salt over the layer of cabbage. Don't have to go crazy here. A light touch will do. Pound with a cabbage muddler/pounder, if you have one and if you make kraut a lot, you will want one. I couldn't find mine, funny enough, so I used the meat pounder.
3. Pound the cabbage layer a bit and then add another layer of salted cabbage. Continue to pound each layer until the cabbage begins to release it's natural water. You will be surprised.
4. At this point, you should have enough natural juices to submerge the now tightly pressed cabbage but if not, add a simple brine using the above ratio until you can fully submerge the cabbage. This container I'm using has a silicone layer with a built in airvac loc and seal. It performs the same function as traditional fermentation weights or plates. If using a more traditional fermenting crock or jar, the cabbage needs to be submerged in its liquid using fermentation stones, weights, a plate, etc.
5. Seal the vessel. Mine above has a locking lid. My other crocks have large stone fitted lids and are sealed with water in a water channel that creates an airtight seal. You can also just use a cheesecloth, muslin or tea towel secured with a rubber band. You want to keep out bugs and insects as well as unwanted bacteria or other airborne contaminants.

When it comes to sauerkraut, like most any other fermented vegetables, it really is a matter of taste. How long you let the fermentation go, depends on how sour you like your ferment. If you are more on the milder side of that fence, then check your kraut after a week and then again after another week. I think I let mine ferment for about 4-6 weeks but because I'm a curious cat, I will check the ferment starting about week 2. I like a super sour kraut so 6 weeks is still a-ok in my book. 

Remember that in times past, our grandparents used to ferment for the entire winter months, keeping their kraut and pickles in really large crocks or barrels even, just pulling out only what would be eaten within a few days, as needed. You need the larger crocks for that, in my opinion, which I have, but I usually just put it all up in jars just in case something goes awry. Like... I forget to keep the water channel full to create the watertight seal and insets get in. That is just suck-o-rama. Super suck-o-rama.

Again, one of the reasons I'm a little smitten with the Crazy Korean Kimchi maker is that it is a smaller, more manageable batch and it solves all of the drama because it keeps everything out while letting the ferment bubble and burp safely away. That's true regardless of whether you are doing a room temperature ferment, a basement ferment or a fridge ferment, like kimchi where you need to stop the fermentation process at some point. 

Me, I just blow stuff up and this can help with that little problem of over-fermenting because it's small enough to store in the 'ol refrigerator. But even that, can sometimes go awry, as you may have heard... so experiment with wild fermentation abandon at your own risk. ;)

One more handy little gadget to mention before I leave you to your fermentation devices. And that, was a pun intended, because this little device has been my newest BFF in addition to the crazy Korean mentioned above. Pickle Pipes. Yup. Mine came in a pack of 4 and they have since become one of the most used pickling gadgets in the house.

The silicone lids fit with wide mouth canning jar rings and creates an airlock with zero hassle. That little nipple thingy has a hole in it like a child's bottle might but is small enough to only let gases out while preventing access to insects, etc. What I have found is that not only are they very useful for fermenting foods. But if you use them to store fresh peppers, it will literally extend the shelf life of your fresh peppers for WEEKS. That's right. I said weeks, my friends. I was harvesting peppers out of my garden over the course of several weeks in order to start a small batch of hot sauce, but at first, I didn't have enough peppers to start. 

I added my fresh peppers to my jar, no liquid of any kind, of course. Just the washed, fresh peppers. Sealed the jar with a pickle pipe and ring, just as is shown above and I was able to collect peppers over the course of several weeks, adding them to my jar until it was full. Then I started another jar and did that until I had 3 half gallon jars full. 

I couldn't believe my eyes, honestly. I swear to Julia, the peppers I had picked nearly 5 weeks prior were indistinguishable in quality from the ones i had freshly picked that same day. You could not see a bit of deterioration, no soft spots or rotten peppers. Perfect.  The peppers were refrigerated the whole time in my pickle pipe jars. Between the refrigeration and the pickle pipe, the combination allowed me to preserve my fresh pepper harvest over 6 weeks!!! Freaking incredible. So well worth it just for this sole purpose if you grow and eat fresh peppers on a regular basis.