Spam a lot of cash
In case you didn’t see my story in the Journal, 11-year-old Michaela Smith won a cool two grand for a winning recipe that first won at the Dixie Classic Fair in October, and just recently was chosen by Hormel Foods as the best kids’ Spam recipe from all the fairs in the country (or at least the 40 fairs in which Spam contests are held).
Michaela came up with an appealing recipe—essentially a hot ham and cheese sandwich. By making it into a calzone, she made it just exotic enough to mainstream audiences while having very familiar flavors.
Essentially, it’s a recipe that can’t lose—assuming it tastes good, and this does.
A noteworthy trick in this recipe is that she makes one big calzone and then cuts it up. Traditional calzones are individually shaped and filled. Doing one big one cuts down on the work tremendously.
Spam and Cheese Calzone
Recipe from Michaela Smith, national Spam kid chef of the year.
1 12-ounce can Spam with Bacon, diced
½ cup chopped yellow onion
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
2 cups shredded Colby Jack Cheese, divided use
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided use
2 13.8-ounce packages refrigerated pizza crust
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl, combine Spam, onion, jalapeño pepper, mayonnaise, mustard and 1 cup of cheese; mix well.
2. Lightly brush a jelly-roll pan (15-by-10-by-1-inch) with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Unroll one package of dough onto the bottom of the pan, gently stretching and pressing the dough to cover the bottom. Sprinkle the dough with the remaining 1 cup of cheese to within 1-inch of the edge of the dough. Spoon Spam mixture over the cheese.
3. Unroll remaining dough directly over the filling, matching edges of dough and shaping to fit as dough is unrolled. Press edges of dough to seal. Brush remaining oil over the dough. Make 12 slits, in three rows of four each, into the top of the crust. Bake calzone for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Remove calzone from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return calzone to oven; bake 2 to 3 more minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. To serve, cut calzone into squares.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
(Photos courtesy of Hormel Foods)
