Antipasto Stromboli

This Antipasto Stromboli recipe features puff pastry stuffed with your favorite Italian meats, cheeses, and vegetables baked into crispy buttery goodness.

If there is ever a recipe that should break the Internet, it is this Antipasto Stromboli. (I can say this without bragging since it is not my recipe.) Imagine your favorite Italian cold-cut sandwich, packed with roasted peppers and artichoke hearts, then wrapped and baked in a flaky, buttery crust. I’ll pause now for you to wipe the drool off your face. Who is responsible for this bit of genius, you ask? Why none other than the fabulous canning and pie guru, Cathy Barrow.

Last year, I was lucky enough to be Cathy’s assistant, helping with recipe development for her new book, When Pies Fly. Cathy's last book, Pie Squared, was a James Beard award nominee for Best Cookbook: Baking and Desserts. Pie Squared presented a variety of delicious sweet and savory pies baked in a rectangular quarter-size sheet pan. When Pies Fly takes pastry out of its conventional pans and turns them into free-form pies from all around the globe. 

Last summer, Cathy and I tested recipes from kolaches to knishes, from fried pies to galettes. As in Pie Squared, the offerings are both sweet and savory, and absolutely delectable. My waistline might have objected to months of pastry-eating, but my taste buds did not. I can personally vouch for almost every recipe in When Pies Fly. (I say "almost" only because there were a few I didn’t have the pleasure of testing.) It's impossible to pick a favorite recipe from such a collection of winners, but I will say that Antipasto Stromboli is definitely in my top 3. We made this recipe several times, trying to get the proportions and the folding exactly right. Each time I hoped it would not be the last!

So when deciding what recipe to feature on my blog, Antipasto Stromboli was a no-brainer. A couple of slices next to a big green salad are perfect for dinner. Making this for a gathering will earn you ooohs and ahhhs like you wouldn’t believe. Double or triple the recipe and make two or three strombolis for inviting friends over for game day. Make this stromboli recipe in advance because it tastes as lovely at room temperature as when it’s warm. And, you can eat this slice of heaven in a napkin with your hands. The only problem is that it will fly off your serving plate in record time. 

What dough should I use for this stromboli recipe?

I’ve changed Cathy’s recipe slightly by moving to a smaller-sized, round dough. My fellow Paris residents can find this standard puff pastry dough in any French supermarket.

Which is lucky for me, because my Parisian kitchen does not include the luxury of a stand mixer (pray for me). By happy accident, the pastry I purchased worked perfectly. The round shape made for less excess dough around the corners, and the smaller size made the stromboli easier to work with. It does mean though, that I would need to make 2 or 3 strombolis for a large group.

Should you be inclined to make your own puff pastry dough, I can vouch for Cathy’s recipe without reservations. Hers is the easiest puff pastry dough I have ever made—and perfectly flaky and delicious. And, her recipe yields a full 500 g of puff pastry, which is perfect for a larger stromboli, serving 8-10 people. 

I should note that a typical stromboli is made with pizza dough. I imagine that would work for this recipe, but the puff pastry dough takes this recipe from good to sublime. 

What ingredients do you need for this stromboli recipe?

The beauty of this recipe, as with many of Cathy’s recipes from When Pies Fly, is that you need not be constrained to the exact ingredients listed. You can use leftovers from an antipasto platter, for example, for the stromboli filling. You can can use your favorite Italian meats and cheeses, and whatever vegetables and olives you prefer. I had a hard time finding soppressata or capicola, so I made mine with salami, mortadella, and coppa. Similarly, provolone proved elusive to find. I finally found an aged one at an Italian market vendor, and combined that with some thinly sliced, smoky scamorza. I also could not find pickled hot peppers here in Paris, and so left them out—though next time I might add a few shakes of crushed red pepper to the filling instead. 

How do you make Antipasto Stromboli?

To begin, open your package of pâte feuilletée and unroll until you have a flat circle of dough on a piece of parchment paper. (If you have rectangular dough, that will work too—you may just need to trim the edges when you fold.) Place on a baking sheet. If you have not yet chopped and sliced your ingredients, place baking sheet in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the stromboli. Warm puff pastry is a bear to work with.

Mix together the tomato paste, anchovies, and garlic in a small bowl until well-incorporated. Then spread the paste down the middle of the circle of dough, making a rectangle about 4 inches wide and as tall as the length of the dough (leaving a finger’s width at the top and bottom of the dough empty).

Layer half of the meat, half of the cheese, then the other half of the meat and other half of the cheese on top of the paste. Then layer on the peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, fresh mozzarella, and pickled hot peppers. Sprinkle with oregano and black pepper, then drizzle vinegar and olive oil over the filling.

If the pastry has warmed up during this time, put the baking sheet back in the refrigerator to firm up. When the pastry is cool, use a small knife to make diagonal slashes, 1 inch in width, down the length of each side (from filling to edge of circle). Take care to cut the same number of slashes on each side. Now, fold the pastry at the top of the circle over the filling, and pull over the first strips on either side, overlapping slightly. The top of the pastry circle should be tucked in under the first strips. Continue to pull over the strips on each side, latticing them as they come together over the filling. Try not to stretch them out as you work with them.

When you get to the bottom, fold up the bottom edge as you did the top, tucking it under the final two lattice strips. Your final stromboli should be around 5.5 x 11 inches (14 cm x 28 cm). Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours. While stromboli is chilling, preheat the oven to 415 degrees F (210 Celsius). If you have a baking steel or stone, place that on the center rack to heat. If not, preheat a baking sheet. When ready to bake, brush the stromboli with the egg wash, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Place your baking sheet with stromboli on it onto the baking steel. Or, take the hot baking sheet out of the oven, and place the stromboli (on its parchment paper) on it.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until filling is bubbling and pastry is browned. Check on the stromboli 10 minutes early to make sure it is not overly dark. If it is browning too fast, tent with foil for the final minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing, then serve warm or at room temperature. 

What is the difference between stromboli and calzone?

The main differences between a stromboli and a calzone are folding technique and shape. Calzones are typically half moon shaped, made from folding round pizza dough over pizza fillings and crimping the edges. Strombolis are typically made with rectangular pizza dough topped with cheese and meats and vegetables, then rolled into a log. The open sides are then folded over before baking. Interestingly, the stromboli as we recognize it today originated in Philadelphia in the 1950s, possibly named after a 1950 Hollywood film starring Ingrid Bergman. Calzones, on the other hand, come straight from Italy.

What else should I serve at my next party?

If you can't wait to serve this Antipasto Stromboli at your next get-together, I don't blame you. For more great ideas for party food, check out the following recipes:

• Smoked Salmon Potato Chips with Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Prosciutto
• Charred Tomatillo and Red Onion Guacamole
• Cilantro-Lime Crab Salad with Paprika Toasts
• French Yogurt Cake with Almonds
• Ultimate Blondies with Chocolate Chips
• Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies
• Bacon and Cheese Turnovers