Apple Pie and Cheddar Panzerotto

The mashup recipe you didn't know you needed. Today is Austin 3:16 day and over the weekend was Pi Day (March 14th or 3.14), so I decided to make an Apple Pie and Cheddar Panzerotto to celebrate. Why add cheddar cheese to an apple pie panzo you ask? Well, because that's apparently how they do it in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin (like all Stone Cold Steve Austin fans know... maybe... ) is where he won the King of the Ring tournament at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1996 and where he first delivered his iconic Austin 3:16 speech. So we're celebrating today with a nod to the lore of Austin 3:16 day and of course, pie.

This panzo recipe is actually super quick and easy, just make the apple pie filling with butter, Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, lemon juice, brown sugar, a bit of beer, walnuts and a pinch of salt. The apple pie filling goes into that pizza dough with some grated old cheddar and then fried golden. I made a gooey and crispy cheese blanket to put on top of my panzo, but that's optional, you can just finish it off with some cinnamon sugar if you don't want to add more cheese. If you want to know how to make my Apple Pie and Cheddar Panzerotto keep reading, or jump to the full recipe.

Peel and slice the apples. Place in a bowl and squeeze the juice from a quarter of a lemon on top of the apples.

In a pan on medium heat, add the butter and let it melt then add in the apples and mix. Add the cinnamon and mix. Squeeze in the juice from a quarter of a lemon, add the brown sugar and mix. Pour in the beer and mix, letting the alcohol cook off a bit.

Add the walnuts and ½ tsp salt then mix. Allow the apples to cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Grate your cheese.

Sprinkle a bit of flour onto your work surface and then stretch out the dough into a circle, kneading it with your fingertips until it is about a half an inch thick. Add about 1/3 of the cheese onto one side of the pizza dough, then the apple pie mixture, then about 1/3 of the cheese on top.

Fold the dough over the filling. Press the edges together with your fingers, crimp the edges to seal the panzo.

Add an inch of oil to a pan or heavy bottom pot, once hot, add the panzo. Allow to cook about 1-2 minutes, spooning the hot oil over the top. Flip and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes, while spooning the hot oil on top. Flip once more and let cook another minute, continuing to spoon the oil on top.

While the panzo is frying, in a pan on medium-high heat, add the remaining 1/3 of the cheese. Allow the cheese to bubble and melt, then using a rubber spatula, push along the edges of the melting cheese to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan. Once the cheese is melted an bubbly, and the underside has crisped up, it’s ready.

Once the panzo golden and crispy, remove from the oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Flip the melted cheese topper onto the top of the panzo, melted side done. Season with salt. Cut the panzo in half and serve.

And now for the full recipe...

Apple Pie and Cheddar Panzerotto

Makes 1 Panzerotto

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 granny smith apples

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp brown sugar

¼ cup lager

½ tsp salt

Juice from ½ lemon

140g old cheddar

2 tbsp walnuts, chopped

Cinnamon sugar for garnish

230g pizza dough

Oil for frying

How to Male Apple Pie and Cheddar Panzerotto 

Peel and slice the apples. Place in a bowl and squeeze the juice from a quarter of a lemon on top of the apples.

In a pan on medium heat, add the butter and let it melt then add in the apples and mix. Add the cinnamon and mix. Squeeze in the juice from a quarter of a lemon, add the brown sugar and mix. Pour in the beer and mix, letting the alcohol cook off a bit. Add the walnuts and ½ tsp salt then mix. Allow the apples to cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Grate your cheddar cheese.

Sprinkle a bit of flour onto your work surface and then stretch out the dough into a circle, kneading it with your fingertips until it is about a half an inch thick. Add about 1/3 of the cheese onto one side of the pizza dough, then the apple pie mixture, then about 1/3 of the cheese on top. Fold the dough over the filling. Press the edges together with your fingers, crimp the edges to seal the panzo.

Add an inch of oil to a pan or heavy bottom pot, once hot, add the panzo. Allow to cook about 1-2 minutes, spooning the hot oil over the top. Flip and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes, while spooning the hot oil on top. Flip once more and let cook another minute, continuing to spoon the oil on top.

While the panzo is frying, in a pan on medium-high heat, add the remaining 1/3 of the cheese. Allow the cheese to bubble and melt, then using a rubber spatula, push along the edges of the melting cheese to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan. Once the cheese is melted an bubbly, and the underside has crisped up, it’s ready.

Once the panzo golden and crispy, remove from the oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Flip the melted cheese topper onto the top of the panzo, melted side done. Season with salt. Cut the panzo in half and serve.

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