Ingredients:
- 1 Jar Wegman’s Bolognese (or your favorite brand/homemade)
- 5 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
- 1 Ball of Scamorza shredded (Smoked Mozzarella, ask at the cheese counter)
- 1 Long French Baguette
- 1-1lb to 1 & 1/2lbs Package Ground Turkey (Don’t go lean here, it’s pizza!)
- EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
- Salt & Pepper
- Fresh Parsley
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°
Preheat a skillet over med-high heat for five minutes. Then drizzle a very, very small amount of EVOO to the pan and quickly add the ground turkey (see note below). I like to take the turkey from the package and cut/divide it lengthwise before putting it into the pan so as to get the most initial browning surface as possible because once you move the meat around the browning process seems to stop.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR THE BORING OR HEALTH-CONSCIOUS: If you're boring or just health-conscious and want to use lean turkey, you'll need to add a normal amount of EVOO here instead. I've found that the browning process works a lot better if you just let the meats natural oil/fat come out, otherwise if you add too much EVOO, it tends to "boil" the meat in it's own juices instead of browning.
Continue to brown the turkey (without moving/flipping it) for a full 5 minutes, then flip/break up the meat. Add the minced garlic and cook until meat is almost finished. You’re looking for a little pink, here.
Add sauce, bring to a slight boil (stirring frequently), then reduce heat and let sauce simmer & meat finish cooking until you’re ready for it.
Cut the bread in half so you have two equal sides of the baguette. Then cut each half lengthwise (like you’re making sandwich halves) & hollow them out a little by using your fingers to tear away some of the insides of the bread. Don’t go too crazy, you’re just hollowing it out to fit in the yummy filling (snack-a-snack-a). You don’t want the filling to fall through.
Drizzle or brush the cut sides of all 4 halves of the loaf with EVOO and toast it under broiler a few minutes and reserve. You’re looking for a light golden color – not brown or burnt. This part of the process is to firm up the bread so it’s easy to eat. Remember: we’re going to bake it again once it’s filled, so don’t over-toast!
When bread is done, put a little shredded scamorza in the hollow part, pack with the reserved turkey bolognese and top with the rest of the scamorza. Bake in 400 degree oven for a few minutes or until the cheese is browned. Top with pulled parsley leaves, salt & pepper to taste and drizzle with a little more EVOO!!
Mangia!
Dean Kutzler 