Buffalo Bills Tailgating Recipe: Three Cheese and Artichoke Calzones

Buffalo Bills fans are renowned for offering one of the best tailgating experiences in the NFL. Certainly, Buffalonians put on quite a show, and they should be – quite rightly – proud of what they offer.

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In fact, you could argue that for a lot of Bills fans, the tailgate party is almost as – if not more – important as the game itself. Either way, it’s a fun experience, something which all sports fans should attend, if they ever get the opportunity.

With the return of NFL football, we’ve decided to do our bit, and suggest some recipe ideas to try out. Our latest offering is Three Cheese and Artichoke Calzones, which comes courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis.

With the Bills playing on the road this week, this is the perfect food to enjoy either at home, or if you’re attending a gathering. And even if you’re making the trek to Detroit, it is still the ideal snack to take along with you. (Although, why you’re going to a preseason game in Detroit is beyond me.)

1) Ingredients:

Yellow cornmeal
4 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup shredded fontina
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
Zest of 1 lemon
All-purpose flour
One 1-pound ball purchased pizza dough
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 large egg white, beaten
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

2) Directions:

Start off by placing a rack in the center of your oven, and preheating it to 400 degrees F (roughly the same temperature Percy Harvin reaches when he has one of his meltdowns). Lightly sprinkle a heavy nonstick baking sheet with cornmeal and set it to one side.

Next, get your food processor and add the artichoke hearts, ricotta, fontina, Pecorino Romano, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Pulse everything, until it is combined and chunky.

Now, using a knife with more precision that an EJ Manuel pass in a pressure situation, cut your pizza dough into four quarters. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into four six-inch circles, each one around 1/4 inch thick.

Using preferably a pantry brush, brush the dough with the egg white, and place a quarter of the filing on one side of each circle of dough. Then fold the dough over the filings, to form a half circle.

Now, pinch the edges of the dough firmly together and crimp to seal. Place the prepared individual calzone on the baking sheet which you set aside earlier.

Drizzle the calzones with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Then, using a sharp knife with more care than Bryce Brown handles the ball, cut a slit at the top of each calzone.

Finally, you can bake your three cheese and artichoke calzones in your preheated oven, until they are golden brown and the filing is bubbling. This should take between 30-35 minutes, at which point they are ready to serve, ideally with warmed tomato and basil sauce. Enjoy!

Next: Touchdown Chili

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