If you like pizza, you will surely enjoy its undercover cousin, the calzone.

I must admit that until I started to work in Manhattan years ago, I had never heard of a calzone. For weeks, when orders were placed for lunch, I would rely on something simple like a ham and cheese sandwich. I finally decided to venture out and try a calzone.

I was pleasantly surprised when I bit into what looked like a large turnover. Inside was a filling of spinach and lots of mozzarella cheese. After a few more bites, I knew that I would not be ordering the ham and cheese sandwiches anymore. I had become a calzone fan.

When looking through some old recipes, I found two interesting ones for calzones. The Borden Company’s Pizza Calzones combine favorite pizza ingredients such as sausage, mushroom, bell pepper, onion and cheese inside a turnover crust made from refrigerated crescent rolls. The Sauer Company provides a recipe for a calzone made with herbs and ham. This calzone is served with a mushroom-herb tomato sauce.

Either of these tasty pizza alternatives is sure to be a hit with anyone who likes Italian food.

PIZZA CALZONES

1/2 pound Italian sausage

1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce (divided)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon water

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large skillet, brown sausage; pour off fat. Add 3/4 cup pasta sauce, mushrooms, green pepper and onion; simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Meanwhile, separate dough into 8 rectangles. Firmly press perforations together to seal and flatten slightly. In small bowl, mix egg and water; brush on dough edges. Stir cheese into meat mixture. Spoon equal amounts of meat mixture on half of each rectangle to within 1/2 inch of edges. Fold dough over filling; press to seal edges. Arrange on baking sheet; brush with egg mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Heat remaining pasta sauce; serve with calzones. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 8 calzones.

SAUER’S CALZONES

WITH HERBS AND HAM

1 can (10 ounce) refrigerated pizza crust

Olive oil

1 cup shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 pound ham, sliced thin

2 thin slices onion, separated into rings

1 can (3 ounce) sliced mushrooms, drained

1/2 teaspoon marjoram leaves

Mushroom-Herb Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

Place dough on 12-inch pizza pan; press dough out to form a 12-inch circle. Lightly brush dough with oil. Place mozzarella on one half of dough, leaving a small border around edges. Layer ham on top of cheese; top with onions and half of mushrooms; reserve remaining mushrooms for sauce. Sprinkle marjoram on top of mushrooms. Fold empty side of dough over filling to make a half-moon shape. Fold bottom dough edges over top edges; pinch to seal. Bake at 425 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve with Mushroom-Herb Tomato Sauce. Makes 2 servings.

MUSHROOM-HERB TOMATO SAUCE

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can (24 ounce) whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

1/2 can (3 ounce) sliced mushrooms, drained

1/2 teaspoon rosemary leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground sage

Saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients; simmer 10 minutes. Serve warm over calzone.