Stromboli With Marinara Dipping Sauce

Stromboli (From Southern Living)

1 16 Oz. Loaf Frozen Bread Dough, thawed
1/2 lb of Meat (I use any combination of Pepperoni, 
            Hard Salami, Sliced Ham, Turkey Pastrami - 
            whatever you have on hand.)
1/2 tsp. Dried Basil, divided
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano, divided
3 Oz. Provolone, sliced
1 Cup Mozzarella, shredded
2 Tbs. Butter, melted
1 tsp. Cornmeal

Place bread dough on a lightly greased baking sheet; pat to a 15 x 10 inch rectangle.  Arrange the meat slices lengthwise down the center.  Sprinkle with half of the dried spices.  Arrange the cheese on top of the meats.  Sprinkle with the remaining herbs.

Moisten all edges of dough with water.  Bring each long edge of dough to the center; press edges together securely to seal.  Seal the ends.

Brush dough with 1 Tbs. butter.  Sprinkle with cornmeal, and carefully invert.  Brush top remaining butter.  Bake at 375* for 20-22 minutes.

Marinara Dipping Sauce

2 Cans Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Sugar (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil briefly; then add the garlic.  You only wish to sweat the garlic, not brown it, so only cook it in the oil for about 10 seconds.  Add the tomatoes and the sugar.  Let the sauce cook down until thickened.  If you are in a hurry or if you want a less chunky sauce, use a hand blender to puree the tomatoes.

The wonderful thing about this meal is you can make the sauce ahead of time, and you can thaw the bread loaf in the refrigerator  for 1-2 days.  Once the bread loaf is thawed, this is a pretty quick meal to make.  

This is definitely a family favorite.  I hope you enjoy!

Ellie