Ripienos

...another winner from my college roomie Wendy. Rumor has it Wendy's parents enjoyed some fabulous ripienos when on vacation in Italy and begged the cook for the recipe. So here you have it - thanks to them for sharing!

Dough:

1 pkg yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 Tb sugar

1 cup water

3 c flour

1 t salt

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. After yeast has started to proof add flour and salt. Knead till dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise until doubles (30-60 minutes).

Filling:

1 32oz carton cottage cheese

6 oz shredded mozzarella

1/3 to 1/2 pound bacon, chopped and browned

sliced mushrooms (as much as you like - I use 1/2 pound)

I also add some dried onions - about 1 to 2 Tbs

Cook bacon and pat off grease, reserving a few tablespoons of grease in the skillet. Cool bacon. Cook sliced mushrooms in reserved grease and set aside to cool.

Mix the cottage cheese and shredded mozzarella together in a large bowl. (At this point I add the onions as well). After mushrooms and bacon are cool, add to cheese mixture. I usually have more time waiting for the dough so I just refrigerate the filling until the dough is ready.

Cut dough into six pieces, roll into a circle (I usually do 6-8 inches diameter) on a floured surface and place filling atop circle. Fold dough in half over the top of the filling and press edges to seal the ripieno. Then fold the edges over again and crimp - like a pie crust or just press with the tines of a fork. Place on greased cookie sheet. Brush the tops of each ripieno with tomato sauce (I usually don't unless I have leftover pizza or spaghetti sauce).

I always have left over filling - so I either double the dough recipe or put half of the completed filling mixture in the freezer for another meal. Or I nibble at it in the fridge for a day or two - it is so delicious!

Bake at 475 for 7-10 minutes or until the edges are nice and brown.

Obviously you can change up the filling and use whatever you have on hand or whatever your family likes! Other yummy variations would be to add some herbs to the dough - Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, etc.