Stromboli. Or, I ignore the lovely weather and pretend it's winter

I love pizza. When I was in high school, my brother and I were always so excited when Dad would make his homemade pizza because it was so much better than what we could order. It still is.

Homemade pizza is one of the happiest foods ever. Ever. No lie.

I was flipping through a magazine not too long ago and I saw a picture of stromboli. I don't remember why (probably because my brain is a giant sieve) but we used to sell stromboli in high school as a fund raiser. I remember them being pretty good. I'm pretty sure that high school is the last time I thought about stromboli, and that was about a million years ago.

But then there was a magazine, and it talked about stromboli. And I got the urge to make them. Since I'm making them, I make the rules, and to me, stromboli are pizzas that are rolled into logs. In case you're curious, I consider calzones to be pizzas folded in half. The pizza family is large, and it brings me great happiness.

This is stromboli. It is a happy, comforting food that you should make. Soon, before it's legitimately too hot to turn the oven on.

I made it in stages, browning the sausage and making a sauce of sorts, then laying out the dough and rolling the stromboli.

They certainly aren't the prettiest stromboli in the world, but they were delicious.

Sausage Stromboli
Serves 4
1 T olive oil
1 lb italian sausage, removed from casings
1 yellow onion, minced
1 clove garlic
1 t oregano
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 T tomato paste
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 bunch kale, chopped
1/2 bunch spinach, chopped
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
pizza dough (recipe follows)

1. Heat oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown, breaking it into smaller pieces as necessary. It's not necessary to cook the sausage all the way through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
   
2. Add 1 t oil to the pan and cook the onion until translucent.
   
3. Add the garlic and spices and stir until fragrant, then add the greens. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
   
4. Stir in the tomato paste and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. As the pan starts to sizzle a bit, pour in the tomatoes and stir until combined. Simmer 10 minutes to meld flavors.
   
5. Pour the tomato mixture over the sausage and let it sit until you're ready to use it.
   
6. Divide the pizza dough into four quadrants and stretch then into 4x9 inch rectangles. Arrange 3/4 cup of the sauce in the center and top with grated mozzarella. Pinch the edges together, lengthwise, to create a log. Move to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
   
7. Repeat for all four pieces of dough.
   
8. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until golden and warmed through.

Pizza Dough
Makes dough for one pizza
3 1/3 c flour
1 t salt
3 t olive oil
2 t oregano, dried
1 t sugar 2
t yeast
1 1/4 water

1. Heat the water to 105 (about 35 seconds in my microwave). Stir in the sugar, then the yeast. Allow this mix to stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.
   
2. Add the flour, salt, 2 t oil, and oregano to a food processor. Pour in the water mixture on the dough speed as fast as the flour will absorb it.
   
3. Allow the mixture to combine, then process for 30 seconds.
   
4. Turn the dough out into a slightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow it to stand for 45 minutes, until risen.