Movie night Snack- Spinach Strombolis

Movie nights with friends require finger foods and quick snacks which can be served at room temperature. I always like to make strombolis which are a favorite with many cheese lovers. One ingredient which gives the ultimate taste to spinach strombolis is Pesto sauce, you can make it at home or get it from a store, my favorite is Trader Joe's Pesto alla Genovese. Here's a recipe that'll make your movie nights sizzle.
Ingredients:

1 can Pillsbury® Pizza Crust or homemade pizza dough
3-4 generous handfuls of baby spinach leaves (or thawed frozen spinach)
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
3/4 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
1 heaped tsp pesto sauce (I used store bought)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tsp parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
Put the spinach leaves in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about 5 mins or till the spinach is cooked. The spinach will reduce in quantity and wilt.
Remove the excess water from spinach and chop it finely.
Add the finely chopped garlic, the pesto sauce, grated mozzarella cheese, chili flakes, 1 tsp of the parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Open the can and unroll the pre-made pizza dough. If using homemade dough roll out the dough in a rectangular shape.
Cut the crust vertically down the center to get 2 long pieces




Spread the filling down the long rectangle, leaving a little bit of a border around the edges
Roll the crust from the long side to get 2 long logs.
Press down lightly along the edge to seal well.
With a sharp knife, make a few slits in the log.
Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and again press a little bit to make the cheese adhere to the dough.
Bake for 12 minutes or till the stromboli is golden brown.
Cut into pieces of desired size. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Easy Home-made Pizza

For the dough:

Home-made pizza dough is much healthier as well as economical compared to store-bought dough. It can be used for Pizza, Calzones and Stromboli. Here's a recipe which makes a great crust. The main ingredient in making the dough is the yeast. I prefer active dry yeast as it can be mixed directly to the flour and works out wonders with the dough.

3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour (I used self-raising flour)
1 cup warm water (between 95° and 115° F.)
2 T active dry yeast
2 T honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

In a big mixing bowl add flour and yeast and mix thoroughly.
Add the salt to the flour. Make sure to wait for at least 5 mins. before adding salt to flour and yeast as salt tends to kill the yeast.
Add the honey and olive oil to the warm water.
Now add the water mixture to the flour while constantly mixing it with a big spoon.
Keep mixing the flour till it becomes a ball of dough. If the dough seems too dry add more water 1 Tbsp at a time.
Once the dough is mixed place it on a floured surface and knead for at least 5-6 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Place the bowl in a warm and dry area to rise. I always place it in the oven with the light of the oven put on.



After 45 minutes the dough would be doubled. Remove it from the bowl and deflate it and knead it again for a minute. Once again keep it covered to rise for another 1 hour.
After an hour the dough is ready to be rolled out.
You can even make this dough in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for a day loosely covered with a plastic bag. Or you can freeze it for up to a week.
This dough can make two medium sized pizzas.


Pizza Preparation:

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or any other good melting cheese)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
chopped bell pepper, tomato, onion , tofu, pineapple, olives or any other topping of your choice.

Pre-heat the oven 400 degrees F.
Once the dough is ready roll it out in a large circle and place the cheese, tomato sauce and toppings on it.
Bake it in pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melt. You can sprinkle some more cheese at the end of the baking time and let it melt.