photo credit: gildas_f

Italian food and wine lovers know the secret to a good stromboli is to have a good dough to start with.  The stromboli was actually given its name in a hoagie shop outside of Philadelphia in 1950.  The chef named Nat Romano was selling these lots of these baked sandwiches he thought they should have a name, but he didn’t know what to call them.  At that time, actress Ingrid Bergman – who was married at the time – was rumored to be having an affair with actor Roberto Rossolini.  They were both starring in the movie “Stromboli” – which was being filmed on the Isle of Stromboli.  Someone suggested calling the sandwich Stromboli and the rest is history!

I saw Emeril make his on tv and his is one of my favorite recipes.  Take 1/2 pound of hot Italian sausage out of the casing and crumble it into a skillet.  Cook until nicely browned and remove.  Drain off all but a tablespoon of fat from the pan and saute a cup of sliced bell peppers, a cup of sliced onion and 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced jalapenos until very soft.  Add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and a teaspoon of Italian spices.  Cook another minute and remove from heat to cool.

Roll half a pound of gourmet bread dough or pizza dough into  a large rectangle.  Spread half of your cooled sausage mixture all over – leaving a one inch border.  Top this with 1/4 pound of sliced ham, 1/8 pound of thinly sliced pepperoni, 1/4 cup sliced black olives, a cup of grated provolone cheese and a cup of grated mozzarella cheese.

Beat an egg with a tablespoon of water and “paint” the border of your rectangle with the mixture.  Starting with the long side, roll the entire thing up into a cylinder, pinching the bottom and sides to seal.  Place this on an oiled baking sheet and let rise for about 20 minutes.

Brush the top with egg wash and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  It should be nice and golden brown and starting to crisp up.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle on half a cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese.  Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.  Take it out of the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes to let the filling set.  Slice on the diagonal into nice big pieces and enjoy your gourmet bread creation – Italian stromboli!  Italian food and wine lover rejoice!

See the lady from Pillsbury make her version here!

Mangia Bene!