Sarah in the kitchen [photo: Justin Goode]"American Idol" Season 10 alum and food blogger Sarah Sellers has been posting her viewing-party snack recipes in Reality Rocks for two "Idol" seasons now, and she's back to get your mouth watering on every night of Season 12, starting this week.
Last night, for the big premiere, she whipped up Italian pinwheels in honor of kickoff audition city New York's famous Italian cuisine--and tonight, for the Chicago auditions, she's keeping things spicy. "Since Chicago and NYC both represent Italian food and pizza, I thought I would play off both city's similarities and utilize some of the same ingredients for both recipes," she explains.
So scrape together last night's leftovers, reheat that oven, and get ready for another spicy two-hour "Idol" viewing marathon with this hearty Chi-Town fare!
Mini Sausage Calzones
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound Italian sausage
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 can refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough
egg white
marinara for dipping
parsley for garnish
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté the bell pepper and onion until translucent.
Add the sausage and cook until no longer pink. Add the garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper, and sauté for one minute until fragrant.
Combine the mozzarella, parmesan and dried thyme in a small bowl and set aside.
Spread the pizza dough on floured surface and cut into eight pieces.
Top with the cheese and sausage mixture. Fold dough over and lightly press edges together with water. Bake until golden-brown, around 15-20 minutes.
Serve with the marinara garnished with the chopped parsley.
Bon appetit!
Check out Sarah's food and music blogs at http://sarahsmusicalkitchen.com