Is It a Stromboli or a Calzone?

[VeraBlue]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

Is ricotta a must for calzones?

By your method, does the stromboli end up with the filling in a jelly roll type of pattern if you slice it across the middle? Or is all the filling together in the center with the dough wrapped around it?

No, ricotta is not a must for calzones. At Christmas, especially on christmas eve, calzones are made with fish, no cheese. But, if you order one from a pizzeria, you'll always get ricotta in it. The stromboli could be either way, depending on how large your dough rectangle is. There is usually at least one swirl, and sometimes two.

[Andy M.]

Thanks for your perspective.

I have never had a calzone with ricotta in it. Also, some of calzones pizzarias sell around here are rectangular.

[blissful]

In our neck of the woods we don't have either the strudel type = stromboli, or the pocket type = calzoni.
We have the panzarotta, a half moon shaped pizza dough pocket, filled to order, then deep fried. There isn't anything quite like it. We have an ethnicly rich area with a shortage of italians!
This is the only place to get them. They are beyond words, yummmmmmmy.
Jimmy's Grotto Pizza Restaurant - Home of the Ponza Rotta
~Bliss

[GB]

How is that different from a calzone blissful?

[Andy M.]

I think it's just a different name for a calzone.

[blissful]

Originally Posted by GB

How is that different from a calzone blissful?

Like I said, we are ethnically rich, italian poor. I never, in all the time I grew up here had a calzone, never even heard of them until 10 years ago when a mall put in an italian franchise. Then I saw what a calzone was, but it's nothing like a ponzarotta. It's like the difference between a baked potato and a french fry.
~Blissful

[GB]

I am still confused though blissful. That does not explain how the two are different.

A calzone is a half moon shaped pizza dough pocket, filled to order, then deep fried or baked.

A ponzarotta is a half moon shaped pizza dough pocket, filled to order, then deep fried.

I am missing what is different between the two.

[pacanis]

Like they said, GB, it's like the difference between snails and escargot.....

[suziquzie]

LOL I sat down to eat the last of the leftover strombzoni and was really suprised to see this still going!
Still tasty..... :)

[Adillo303]

Possibly, the difference is that blissful said "filled to order". Maybe that means that they are filled with pizza toppings instead of more traditional calzone fillings. Maybe?

I understand regional food differences. Some places outside NYC make things they call bagels.

This from their website:

1976:

Rosie always had something good cooking, and often stopped by with something for the workers at the Grotto to try. One of those items was a pastie which consisted of tomato sauce and Ricotta cheese in a light crust. As good as they were, we had to start selling them. So, before the year was out, the first Ponza Rottas were served at Jimmy's Grotto. It wasn't much of a success at first, during the first couple months we only sold a couple a day. But it didn't take long for word of mouth to travel and within a year they became one of our best selling items.