Stromboli with Sopressata, Rapini, and Provolone from ‘Beer Bites’
Every week, Yahoo Food spotlights a cookbook that stands out from all the rest. The week’s cookbook is Beer Bites: Tasty Recipes and Perfect Pairings for Brew Lovers by Christian DeBenedetti and Andrea Slonecker (Chronicle Books). DeBenedetti wrote The Great American Ale Trail, and is the founder of Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery. Slonecker is a food stylist and recipe editor, as well the author of Pretzel Making at Home and Eggs on Top. Read more about Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week here.
Photograph by John Lee
By Christian DeBenedetti and Andrea Slonecker
Stromboli with Sopressata, Rapini, and Provolone
Serves 6 to 8
White IPA
There are a number of stories offering the origins of this massive, and massively satisfying, Italian pizza roll. Not surprisingly, all of them seem to involve the 1950 hit film Stromboli, starring legendarily spicy actress Ingrid Bergman. The movie wasn’t about a sandwich, of course, but rather a perilous volcano off the coast of Italy. The stories make sense, given the delicious molten filling that explodes from this hearty party-pleaser.
As with pizza, pairing beer with stromboli can be tricky, so we turned to something of a trick beer: White IPA, an early-twenty-first-century variation on India pale ale that combines the herbal tang of IPA with the fruity, spicy kick of orange peel–and-coriander-spiced witbier. With its combo of citrusy, bitter, malty, and herbal flavors, it’s got an answer for every flavor coming out of this version of the mountainous sandwich, especially the bittersweet rapini, bright tomatoes, and salty cheese. Chainbreaker, from Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery, works especially well, light and fruity but substantial enough to stand in the spotlight.
1 bunch rapini, trimmed and cut into 2-inch/5-cm pieces
4 tablespoons/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
One 28-ounce/794-g can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 pound/455 g pizza dough, homemade or store-bought, at room temperature
¼ cup/30 g freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 ounces/115 g thinly sliced soppressata
4 ounces/115 g thinly sliced provolone cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C.
Toss the rapini with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a big pinch of salt in a large bowl. Spread it out on two large rimmed baking sheets and roast until the stalks are tender and the leaves are lightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans in the oven halfway through.
Squish the tomatoes with your hands into a chunky sauce in a saucepan. Stir in the garlic, oregano, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Line a clean, large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 16-by-12-inch/40.5-by- 30.5-cm rectangle, with the long edges parallel to the edge of the countertop. If it is too elastic to roll out the whole way in one shot, cover it with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes, then continue rolling.
Spread ½ cup/120 ml of the sauce over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch/2.5-cm border. Sprinkle it with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Arrange the soppressata in an even layer over the sauce, and then layer the provolone over the soppressata. Strew the rapini over that. Brush the bare edges of the dough lightly with some of the beaten egg. Beginning at the long edge closest to you, carefully roll up the dough snugly into a cylinder (like a jelly roll). Press the seam together and tuck in the ends to completely encase the filling.
Place the stromboli, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top and sides lightly with the egg. Cut five diagonal slits about 2 inches/5 cm apart in the top of the dough for steam vents. Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the stromboli cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, bring the remaining sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Transfer the stromboli to a cutting board and cut it crosswise into thick slices. Serve directly from the cutting board or on a long platter, with the remaining sauce on the side for dipping.
Our Recommended Brews:
Chainbreaker Deschutes Brewery / Reboot Boulevard Brewing Co. / Accumulation New Belgium Brewing / Whiplash White Sweetwater Brewing Company / Pig War White IPA Hopworks Urban Brewery
Reprinted with permission from Beer Bites: Tasty Recipes and Perfect Pairings for Brew Lovers by Christian DeBenedetti and Andrea Slonecker (Chronicle Books).
More party snack recipes to make at home:
Onion Cranberry Pecan Baked Brie
Cheeto-Crusted Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon
