The following is an extract my book National Trust Simply Baking (see Books). It’s gorgeous eaten outside on an autumn day, but equally good served as a warming winter supper.
Throughout the summer months, meadow mushrooms were traditionally fried or pickled by British cooks. Today, they are also eaten in a wide range of baked didshes, from pies and vol-au-vents to tarts, turnovers and pizzas. Calzone is, quite simple, a pizza turnover. Don’t make the filling too wet or the pizza dough will turn soggy.
Field mushrooms can be gathered from early summer until autumn. They love warm, damp weather and rich pasture land. However, if gathering them yourself, use a good guidebook, as there are some poisonous lookalikes such as the Yellow Stainer ( Agaricus xanthodermus).
Serves 2
½ quantity pizza dough (see sundries in index)
200g/70z buffalo mozzarella
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
225g/8oz field mushrooms, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1cm/ ½ in cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tablespoon lemon thyme leaves
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 Place a heavy baking sheet in the centre of your cold oven. Preheat the oven to fan 230ºC/gas 9. Drain the mozzarella and pat dry. Cut into 1cm/ ½ in cubes and place in a colander. Gently press to release some of the excess moisture.
2 Set a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then the garlic and chilli, if using. As soon as it begins to sizzle, add the diced mushrooms. Season and stir-fry briskly for 3 minutes or until they have released most of their liquid. Mix in the lemon thyme and tip into a bowl. Once cool, mix in the finely grated Parmesan.
3 Roll out your pizza dough as described in sundries in the index into two discs about 20cm/8 in in diameter. Spread the mushrooms over half of each disc of dough, taking care not to cover the raised edge. Scatter the mozzarella cubes over the mushrooms. Fold the uncovered half of the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges firmly together so that no juices can escape. Bake on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes or until the calzone have puffed up and turned crisp and golden. Brush with a little olive oil before serving.
