Reuben Calzones
There is more than one way to enjoy corned beef. This time of year, because of the St Patrick’s Day specials, corned beef is on sale at lots of stores. These calzones are a fun way to serve corned beef.
While more often made with Italian ingredients, you can make calzones with other fillings, too. I made these for a friend a while back and we were talking about them the other day. I decided to make them again.
These are a fun way to make a Reuben, but with a twist. You can leave the sauerkraut out, if you like. I add some thousand island dressing to the calzones, but serve extra on the side. They also freeze well, so you can make a batch, enjoy some fresh, and freeze some for later. I thought I would share the recipe with you.
Reuben Calzones
3 ¼ c. flour
1 c. rye flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast
1⅓ c. hot water
1 T. oil
1 c. Thousand Island dressing, recipe follows
1 lb. thin sliced corned beef
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1 c. sauerkraut, squeezed dry
1 egg , beaten
Caraway seeds, optional
Set aside 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover dough and let rest 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll one piece into a 6-8 -inch circle. In the middle of the dough, add a spoonful of Thousand Island dressing, place 1 ounce of the Swiss cheese and 2 ounces of the corned beef. Add a tablespoon or two of the sauerkraut, if using. Brush the edge of the dough with water. Fold over the dough in half and press the edges to seal. Brush the edge again with water and roll the edge over again. It will give you a prettier look and seal the calzone better. Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. Place calzones on greased baking sheets- or on a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper liner. You will end up with 8 calzones in all. Only put 4 on one baking sheet. Cover and let rest 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Before placing calzones in the oven brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the caraway seeds, if you like. Also poke a few holes in the tops with a fork to help steam to escape while baking. I put both baking sheets in the oven at the same time and switch them halfway through baking. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking both at once switch them after 10 minutes or so. Cool slightly before eating. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, allow a little more time for the dough to rise the first time, about 40 minutes. Everything else will work the same.
If you want to make your own dressing, here is the recipe
Thousand Island Dressing
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sweet pickle relish
Mix ingredients together and serve, or chill until needed.
Roasted Corned Beef
After hearing about roasting corned beef, I finally did it. I can see why those who have raved about the results were so excited. The end result was a roast that was tender, flavorful and kind of pretty, too. I had searched the internet for directions and found a wide assortment of recipes. Most of the roasting temps were in the 300-325 degree range. Cooking times varied from 2-6 hours. All of the recipes I found added water to the roasting pan- but amounts varied widely – from a few tablespoons to several cups of water.
There were also all sorts of options for a spice/sweet rub. I used ingredients I thought would work with the corned beef and I was not disappointed. I used maple syrup, za’atar spice and some brown sugar. Recipe for the za’atar follows after the roasting directions.
I was concerned that the roasted corned beef would be too salty. It was not. A lot of the salt comes out in the water used in the roasting process. I tasted a piece of the roasted onion in the pan and it was super salty. The cooking liquid was, too. The roast was not too salty.
Roasted Corned Beef
4-5 pound corned beef
1/2 c. maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons za’atar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 cups water*
Remove the meat from packaging. Rinse with cool water and pat dry. Discard the seasoning packet. Place a wire rack in a roasting pan and place the roast on the rack. Brush the roast with about 1/4 cup of the maple syrup. Sprinkle the za’atar over the meat and rub to cover evenly. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Rub the sugar into the roast. Place onions in the roasting pan and add about two cups of water. The meat should be above the water. Seal the roasting pan with foil or cover with a tight fitting lid. Place in a preheated 325 degree oven and roast for 2 1/2- 3 hours. Add more water, if needed. See note below. Pierce roast to make sure it is tender. Brush with the rest of the maple syrup and sprinkle with the rest of the brown sugar. Return to oven, uncovered, and cook until top of roast browns nicely, about an hour. Remove from oven. Let rest 15-20 minutes before slicing.
* The water amount became an issue for me. I thought the pan was sealed tightly, but at 2 hours, I smelled a faint burning smell. The roasting was was just out of water. I added more, replaced the foil and returned the roast to the oven for another hour. I had used a pretty big pan, in relation to the size of the roast- and obviously, the foil was not sealed as tightly as I thought. Check the roast a time or two – to be sure the water does not run out. By the same token, you don’t want the meat sitting in water. If you use a smaller roasting pan, or use a tight fitting lid, you might not need to add more water at all.
There are a number of variations of this recipe. This is the version that I made.
Za-atar Spice Mix
1 T. whole coriander
1 T. whole cumin
2 T. dried marjoram- you could use thyme instead
2 T. sumac- available at some specialty stores
2 T. sesame seeds- I toasted mine.
in small skillet, toast coriander and cumin until you can just start to smell them. Let them cool, then grind them up in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Combine this mixture with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine well. Store in a cool, dry place.
Corned Beef on Rye Salad
If you have leftover corned beef, you might want to try using it in a salad. This recipe came about when I had some corned beef that I was planning on using in a sandwich. I was more in the mood for a salad. Since I also had some lovely salad greens, I decided to combine them in one dish.
The end result was very tasty.
I prepped my greens, then topped them with the corned beef and Swiss cheese. I made croutons out of the rye bread and dressed the salad with homemade thousand island dressing. A nice Russian dressing would have worked, too. Perhaps, even a simple oil and vinegar dressing. The thousand island dressing made it like a Reuben sandwich, minus the sauerkraut.
Corned Beef on Rye Salad
6-8 c. mixed salad greens, washed and dried off
6 oz. corned beef, cut in bite sized pieces
4 oz. cubed Swiss cheese
2 slices rye bread, toasted and cubed
4 T. Thousand island dressing- recipe follows
Place greens in a bowl. Top with the meat, cheese, rye bread and drizzle with the dressing. Serves 2.
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
Combine equal amounts of mayo, ketchup and sweet pickle relish. Stir to combine. I like to add capers sometimes, too. Store unused portion in the fridge.
Corned Beef Hash
My mom used to make the best hash. I didn’t have any specific recipe for hash, so I made a point of writing down what I did, and measuring ingredients, so I could share the recipe with you. The hash tasted a lot like my mom’s. That made me smile. Here is the recipe. Hope you give it a try.
Corned Beef Hash
4 T. oil, butter or bacon fat
2-3 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1-1½ lbs. potatoes, 4-5 medium, cut in cubes, peeling optional
1 lb. corned beef, cut into ½- inch cubes
Salt and pepper
Eggs, optional
In skillet, heat up your fat of choice. Cook onions over medium heat until translucent. Add cubed potatoes and cook until potatoes and onions are starting to brown. Rather than constantly stirring, I let the potato and onion mixture cook a few minutes, then turn over sections with a spatula. It seems to get them brown faster. Check a few random potatoes to make sure they are tender. Add the corned beef and continue cooking until everything is starting to get a little crispy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. At this point you can serve it. I like to add the eggs. To add the eggs, crack and add eggs, one at a time, to the pan. Keep some space between the eggs, if you can. Turn heat down to medium low and cover the pan. It should take about 5 minutes for the eggs to cook, with the whites firm and the yolks runny. Try not to keep peeking. I know you want to, but every time you remove the lid, the heat dissipates. Wait 3 minutes to check the first time, if you can. Don’t set the heat too high, or you will burn the bottom of the hash while the eggs cook. I usually add one egg for each person I am serving. Feel free to allow more eggs per person, depending on your guests. Serves about 4.
Note: If you want to save yourself from dicing potatoes, you can use frozen hash browns. I prefer diced fresh potatoes, but the hash browns will save you time.
Roasted Corned Beef
After hearing about roasting corned beef, I finally did it. I can see why those who have raved about the results were so excited. The end result was a roast that was tender, flavorful and kind of pretty, too. I had searched the internet for directions and found a wide assortment of recipes. Most of the roasting temps were in the 300-325 degree range. Cooking times varied from 2-6 hours. All of the recipes I found added water to the roasting pan- but amounts varied widely – from a few tablespoons to several cups of water.
There were also all sorts of options for a spice/sweet rub. I used ingredients I thought would work with the corned beef and I was not disappointed. I used maple syrup, za’atar spice and some brown sugar. Recipe for the za’atar follows after the roasting directions.
I was concerned that the roasted corned beef would be too salty. It was not. A lot of the salt comes out in the water used in the roasting process. I tasted a piece of the roasted onion in the pan and it was super salty. The cooking liquid was, too. The roast was not too salty.
Roasted Corned Beef
4-5 pound corned beef
1/2 c. maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons za’atar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 cups water*
Remove the meat from packaging. Rinse with cool water and pat dry. Discard the seasoning packet. Place a wire rack in a roasting pan and place the roast on the rack. Brush the roast with about 1/4 cup of the maple syrup. Sprinkle the za’atar over the meat and rub to cover evenly. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Rub the sugar into the roast. Place onions in the roasting pan and add about two cups of water. The meat should be above the water. Seal the roasting pan with foil or cover with a tight fitting lid. Place in a preheated 325 degree oven and roast for 2 1/2- 3 hours. Add more water, if needed. See note below. Pierce roast to make sure it is tender. Brush with the rest of the maple syrup and sprinkle with the rest of the brown sugar. Return to oven, uncovered, and cook until top of roast browns nicely, about an hour. Remove from oven. Let rest 15-20 minutes before slicing.
* The water amount became an issue for me. I thought the pan was sealed tightly, but at 2 hours, I smelled a faint burning smell. The roasting was was just out of water. I added more, replaced the foil and returned the roast to the oven for another hour. I had used a pretty big pan, in relation to the size of the roast- and obviously, the foil was not sealed as tightly as I thought. Check the roast a time or two – to be sure the water does not run out. By the same token, you don’t want the meat sitting in water. If you use a smaller roasting pan, or use a tight fitting lid, you might not need to add more water at all.
There are a number of variations of this recipe. This is the version that I made.
Za-atar Spice Mix
1 T. whole coriander
1 T. whole cumin
2 T. dried marjoram- you could use thyme instead
2 T. sumac- available at some specialty stores
2 T. sesame seeds- I toasted mine.
in small skillet, toast coriander and cumin until you can just start to smell them. Let them cool, then grind them up in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Combine this mixture with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine well. Store in a cool, dry place.
Corned Beef on Rye Salad
If you have leftover corned beef, you might want to try using it in a salad. This recipe came about when I had some corned beef that I was planning on using in a sandwich. But I was more in the mood for a salad. Since I also had some lovely salad greens, I decided to combine them in one dish.
The end result was very tasty.
I prepped my greens, then topped them with the corned beef and Swiss cheese. I made croutons out of the rye bread and dressed the salad with homemade thousand island dressing. A nice Russian dressing would have worked, too. Perhaps, even a simple oil and vinegar dressing. The thousand island dressing made it like a Reuben sandwich, minus the sauerkraut.
Corned Beef on Rye Salad
6-8 c. mixed salad greens, washed and dried off
6 oz. corned beef, cut in bite sized pieces
4 oz. cubed Swiss cheese
2 slices rye bread, toasted and cubed
4 T. Thousand island dressing- recipe follows
Place greens in a bowl. Top with the meat, cheese, rye bread and drizzle with the dressing. Serves 2.
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
Combine equal amounts of mayo, ketchup and sweet pickle relish. Stir to combine. I like to add capers sometimes, too. Store unused portion in the fridge.
Corned Beef Calzones
I thought this might be a nice time to share this recipe. Seems like a lot of people are cooking with corned beef in the next few days. If you have leftover corned beef, you can use it in these tasty calzones. You can also used deli slice corned beef.
I made these for a friend a while back and we were talking about them the other day. I decided to make them again.
They are almost a Reuben, but I didn’t include the sauerkraut. You could, if you liked. I sometimes make these with thousand island dressing inside them as well, but I decided to leave it out and serve it on the side instead. I thought I would share the recipe with you.
Corned Beef Calzones
3 ¼ c. flour
1 c. rye flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast
1⅓ c. hot water
1 T. oil
1 lb. thin sliced corned beef
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1 egg , beaten
Caraway seeds, optional
Set aside 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover dough and let rest 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll one piece into a 6-8 -inch circle. In the middle of the dough place 1 ounce of the Swiss cheese and 2 ounces of the corned beef. Brush the edge of the dough with water. Fold over the dough in half and press the edges to seal. Brush the edge again with water and roll the edge over again. It will give you a prettier look and seal the calzone better. Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. Place calzones on greased baking sheets- or on a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper liner. You will end up with 8 calzones in all. Only put 4 on one baking sheet. Cover and let rest 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Before placing calzones in the oven brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the caraway seeds, if you like. Also poke a few holes in the tops with a fork to help steam to escape while baking. I put both baking sheets in the oven at the same time and switch them halfway through baking. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking both at once switch them after 10 minutes or so. Cool slightly before eating. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, allow a little more time for the dough to rise the first time, about 40 minutes. Everything else will work the same.
If you want to make your own Thousand Island Dressing, just combine equal amounts of sweet pickle relish, mayo and catsup.
Corned Beef “Calzones”
Corned Beef Calzones
I made these for a friend a while back and we were talking about them the other day. I decided to make them again. They are almost a Reuben but I didn’t include the sauerkraut. You could, if you liked. I sometimes make these with thousand island dressing inside them as well, but I decided to leave it out and serve it on the side instead. I thought I would share the recipe with you. Thanks, Jared, for the inspiration.
Corned Beef Calzones
3 ¼ c. flour
1 c. rye flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast
1⅓ c. hot water
1 T. oil
1 lb. thin sliced corned beef
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1 egg , beaten
Caraway seeds, optional
Set aside 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover dough and let rest 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll one piece into a 6-8 -inch circle. In the middle of the dough place 1 ounce of the Swiss cheese and 2 ounces of the corned beef. Brush the edge of the dough with water. Fold over the dough in half and press the edges to seal. Brush the edge again with water and roll the edge over again. It will give you a prettier look and seal the calzone better. Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. Place calzones on greased baking sheets- or on a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper liner. You will end up with 8 calzones in all. Only put 4 on one baking sheet. Cover and let rest 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Before placing calzones in the oven brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the caraway seeds, if you like. Also poke a few holes in the tops with a fork to help steam to escape while baking. I put both baking sheets in the oven at the same time and switch them halfway through baking. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking both at once switch them after 10 minutes or so. Cool slightly before eating. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, allow a little more time for the dough to rise the first time, about 40 minutes. Everything else will work the same.
Sealing the edge
Ready for the oven
Fresh from the oven
These are really nice served with thousand island dressing. You can buy it but I prefer to make my own. Just combine equal amounts of ketchup, mayo and sweet pickle relish.
equal parts of ketchup, mayo and sweet relish
Stir to combine
