Salami and Spinach Stromboli
Recipe 1 from Debbie Macomber’s Table
Let’s just get straight to the point.
Here are my thoughts:
Ingredient list was a little longer than I was looking for (I like 4-5 items to try to juggle), but it was an easy list to assemble. :-)
Right off the bat, I had a “Following Directions” fail—actually two of them.
I ended up cooking the spinach completely rather than simply thawing it. More on that faux pas later.
I spread the marinara sauce farther on the pizza dough than instructed. No biggie.
NOTE: The directions were clearly written—I just didn’t read closely. I skimmed rather than actually read and fell victim to the plight of many a middle school student. I really should follow my own advice!
Once everything was assembled, they looked like stromboli. That’s a huge deal for me. Most of the time what I cook doesn’t look like it’s supposed to before it hits the oven. :-)
I did extend the cooking time to fit my oven, and when removed from said oven, the stromboli still looked like they ought to. :-)
The cooked spinach came back to haunt me here. By the time it had baked 35 minutes in the oven (on top of being cooked in the microwave on the front end), it was completely overdone. That’s on me. Not the recipe.
I used fresh garlic, which would have worked if I had used less. It ended up overpowering everything.
It seemed a bit salty to my taste, too, so perhaps with the salami there isn’t a need for the 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
I did eat it, but I was disappointed.
Will I try it again? Probably, but I’ll make sure I make the tweaks listed above. I also like a crispier crust, so I will switch that out, too.
Overall, I’d probably rate it 7/10 as I made it tonight. Someone with a lot more kitchen-knowledge would more than likely get it to at least an 8.5/10. No pictures from tonight’s adventure. I’ll be sure to get better photos for the next six attempts.
This was the first recipe of seven, so let’s see what tomorrow’s recipe can bring to the table!! (Pun definitely intended.)