Mozzarella Ham Stromboli

Mid-March. The clocks shifted forward. The afternoons returned. The crocuses spread. The robins came back to the lawn.

Tuesday food bank: pollo guisado. Routine.

Wednesday I had no class — between cohorts. Eduardo and I went to dinner. He told me at dinner that he had been thinking about retirement. Not now. Not soon. But in the next five years. He said, "Carmen, sixty-five is the target. Maybe sixty-six. Aetna has a sixty-five-or-sixty-six retirement track for long-tenured employees." I said, "Eduardo, you are sixty-four next year." He said, "Yes. I want to give myself the time to plan. I am telling you because I want you in the planning." I said, "Eduardo, I am in." He said, "Carmen, what would you want?" I said, "Eduardo, I would want to slow down with you." He said, "Carmen, slow down means what?" I said, "Eduardo, fewer Cocina trainings. Maybe one class a week instead of three commitments. More breakfast on the porch." He said, "Carmen, that sounds right." We ate. We held hands.

Thursday Mami slept all day. Carmen the aide texted me. I went over. I sat for four hours. Mami did not wake. Her breathing was slower than usual. I held her hand. I sang her songs. Carmen the aide brought me coffee. I drank it. I sat. At 7 PM Mami opened her eyes briefly. She said, "Carmen, you are still here." I said, "Mami, I am." She closed them. She slept again. I drove home. I told Eduardo. He said, "Carmen, are you worried?" I said, "Eduardo, today no. Today is a sleeping day. There will be other days." He nodded. He held me.

Sunday dinner: family. Lucas brought me his recipe notebook. He had been writing in it for six weeks. He had transcribed three recipes I had given him: sofrito, arroz blanco, habichuelas guisadas. He had drawn a small picture of each dish next to the recipe. The drawings were the careful drawings of a six-year-old. The sofrito picture was a green blob in a pan. The rice was a white pile. The beans were red dots in brown sauce. I said, "Mijo, these are the right colors." He beamed. He said, "Abuela, can I add to it?" I said, "Mijo, yes. Every recipe I teach you, you can add. The notebook is the notebook." Wepa.

That Sunday dinner with Lucas and his little recipe notebook — the green blob sofrito, the white rice pile, the red bean dots — reminded me that food is how we hand things down, and that the handing-down is the whole point. I wanted something I could pull apart and share at the center of the table, something that felt celebratory without being fussy, because this week had been tender in ways I didn’t have words for yet. This Mozzarella Ham Stromboli is the kind of dish that says: we are here, we are together, and for right now, that is more than enough.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb refrigerated or homemade pizza dough, at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
6 oz thinly sliced deli ham
8 oz fresh or low-moisture mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Marinara sauce, for dipping

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the minced garlic and Italian seasoning in a small bowl and set aside.
Roll the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pizza dough into a rectangle roughly 12 by 16 inches. Transfer it carefully to the prepared baking sheet.
Layer the fillings. Brush the garlic-oil mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Layer the ham slices over the oil, then lay the mozzarella evenly on top of the ham. Sprinkle with Parmesan and red pepper flakes if using.
Roll and seal. Starting from one long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam firmly to seal, then tuck and pinch both ends closed. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet.
Brush and score. Brush the top and sides of the stromboli with the beaten egg. Using a sharp knife, cut 4 to 5 diagonal slits across the top to allow steam to escape. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Bake. Bake at 400°F for 22 to 25 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the cheese is visibly bubbling through the slits. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve. Slice into rounds and serve warm with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mozzarella Ham Stromboli — The Dinner That Brought Us Back to the Table