There are no words to describe the perfection that is the Rockhouse Stromboli from Rockhouse Pizza in Robards, Kentucky. It is tradition to eat these famous strombolis on the Friday evening we arrive down at Turkey Bay for a weekend camping trip and four-wheeling. This evening I attempted (because I will probably never come close to that level) to reproduce that pocketful of heaven. I found no comparison, but these strombolis are tasty and simple!

Ingredients:

• 4 rolls of refrigerated pizza dough
• 2 lbs. ground Italian sausage
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 16 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 5 oz. bag turkey pepperonis
• 1 c. pizza sauce
• 4 c. Italian shredded cheese blend
• 8 Tbsp. salted butter, melted
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic Salt

Directions:

1. In a large electric skillet (or large stew pot) brown the sausage. Spoon out meat and place to the side. Toss onions, peppers, and mushrooms into sausage grease and cook until onions are translucent (drain any excess moisture). Add sausage back in with veggies. I used kitchen scissors and cut my pepperonis is half and added them to the skillet as well.
2. Spray two pans with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over to 400*
3. This next part may get complicated. On a large cutting board, roll out the pizza dough (be careful not to roll thin, want as thick as possible). Spoon 1/4 cup marinara sauce onto the dough and spread 1/4 of the meat and veggie mixture. Top with 1 c. of shredded cheese.
4. Start at one end of the dough and begin rolling the ingredients to the inside. Once the other end is sealed, use the cutting board to flip the stromboli upside down onto the greased baking sheet (if you try and lift it, the sides will rip – transfer with a quick flip to avoid stretching). Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the three additional stroms. I baked two at a time.
5. In a small bowl, combine the butter, parmesan, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning. Set to the side.
6. Bake the strombolis for 10 minutes until the dough begins to harden. Remove from the oven and brush the seasoned butter on the top. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes until the dough is nice and dark brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Yields 4 strombolis – about 8 servings.

Eat, Bork, and Be Merry!