Sweet Onion Calzone
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 45 min
- Cook time: 1 h 30 min
- Serving: 8
- Cost: Low
- Note + the time to drain the sponsali (one night)
PRESENTATION
Sweet Onion Calzone from Valenzano, in the province of Bari, is built around a deliberate contradiction: sugar goes into both the filling and the crust, and that double sweetness is not incidental — it is exactly what makes the dish work. The filling combines sponsali, fresh mild-flavored bulbs, with olive baresi, raisins, anchovies, and a measured amount of sugar, building the layered sweet-savory balance that the source identifies as the defining characteristic of this Pugliese specialty. It is a combination that sounds unlikely until you taste how the briny anchovies and fruity raisins pull in opposite directions while the sugar holds everything together.
Enclosing the filling is pasta matta al vino, a wine-based pastry also made with sugar, which bakes into something simultaneously tender and caramelized — a crust that pulls its weight rather than just holding the filling in place. The recipe comes from Nonna Anna, a home cook from Valenzano who has been making this version for her family for years, and the details she preserves — the specific olives, the wine dough, the sugar in both components — are what separate this from any generic stuffed pastry. Those choices, taken together, give the finished calzone its unmistakable character.
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INGREDIENTS
- For the dough
- Type 00 flour 4 cups (500 g)
- White wine 1.3 cups (300 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 3.8 tbsp (50 g)
- Sugar 1 ½ tbsp (20 g)
- For the filling
- Sponsali onions 4.5 lbs (2 kg) - (to be cleaned)
- Olive 10.5 oz (300 g) - from Bari
- Raisins 1.8 oz (50 g)
- Anchovies in oil 1.75 oz (50 g)
- Sugar 2 tbsp (25 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 7.3 tbsp (100 g)
- For the topping
- Sugar 3 ½ tsp (15 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp (15 g)
How to prepare Sweet Onion Calzone
To prepare the sweet onion calzone, start by cleaning the sponsali: remove the roots 1 and the tougher green part 2, then cut them into pieces and slice them finely lengthwise 3.
Put the sponsali in a pot of boiling water 4 and cook for about 20 minutes, until softened 5. Drain them and transfer to a colander 6, then let them rest overnight in the refrigerator so they release all excess liquid.
After this time, pour the sponsali into a large skillet with a drizzle of hot oil 7 and sweat them over medium heat for about 30 minutes 8. At this point add the raisins, which you will have previously soaked in warm water 9.
Add the pitted olives as well 10 and the sugar 11 and continue cooking for another ten minutes, stirring well so everything dries a bit. Turn off the heat and set aside 12.
Prepare the pasta matta: put the flour in a bowl together with the sugar 13, then gradually add the white wine while stirring with a spoon 14. Pour in the oil as well 15 and incorporate it into the mixture.
Continue working the dough on the work surface for about ten minutes 16 until you obtain a smooth, uniform ball 17. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts 18.
Roll out the first portion of dough on a lightly floured surface 19 to a thickness of about 1–2 mm (about 0.04–0.08 in) 20. Transfer the sheet into a greased pan with a diameter of 32 cm (about 12.6 in) 21 and arrange it well to line both the base and the sides.
Pour the sponsali filling inside 22 and spread it evenly, then dust it with sugar 23 and season with a drizzle of oil 34.
Also add the broken anchovies 25. Now roll out the second portion of dough and transfer it onto the pan 26, then trim the excess 27.
Fold the edges inward to seal the filling 28, then brush the surface with a little oil 29 and sprinkle with sugar 30.
Finally, make incisions with a knife as if you were going to slice it 31. Bake in a conventional oven preheated to 392°F (200°C) for about 30 minutes 32, until the surface is golden and slightly caramelized. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly; your sweet onion calzone is ready to be enjoyed 33!