Ham ’N’ Cheese Stromboli -- Something Warm to Bring Home After a Long Week

It rained all week. Boston spring rain, cold and sideways, the kind that makes the clinic waiting room smell like wet wool.

Mr. Ferraro came in Monday for a diabetic foot check. He is 71. His left great toe is dusky. I called vascular at BMC and got him an appointment for Thursday. He thanked me twice. His wife drove him. She held his arm in the parking lot like she was afraid he would blow away.

Nora has a cold. Runny nose, mild cough, no fever. I made her chicken soup Tuesday night. Carrots, celery, onion, a whole chicken, thyme. It simmered four hours while I did laundry. Liam ate two bowls. Nora ate half a bowl and fell asleep on the couch with her stuffed rabbit.

Meghan called Wednesday, not at 11. At 3 PM, from her office. She said there is a grief group at St. Ambrose in Dorchester, Tuesday nights, 7 to 8:30, it runs in six-week rotations and a new one starts next week. She said I should go. I said I would think about it. She said Katie, think fast, it starts Tuesday.

I did not want to go. I want to be clear about that. I did not want to sit in a church basement with strangers and talk about Sean.

Thursday night, after the kids were down, I took out the brown leather notebook. I have not written in it in two weeks. I wrote: Meghan thinks I should go to grief group. I do not want to go. I will probably go. I closed the notebook.

Friday at work I asked Dr. Rashid if he had heard of the group. He has. He said the facilitator is a widow herself, a retired social worker named Bernadette. He said she is good.

Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. Liam asked if the burned pancake is for Daddy. I said yes. He nodded like he had confirmed a fact.

Sunday dinner at Southie. Ma made split pea soup with ham because of the rain. She packed me a quart to take home. She also, without asking, added a post-it to the container that said GO TO THE GROUP TUESDAY. Meghan had clearly called her. I did not say anything. I took the soup.

Food of the week: Ma's split pea soup. Thick enough to stand a spoon in. The ham hock shredded in. A rainy week soup.

Ma’s split pea soup went into the fridge Sunday night with the Post-it still stuck to the lid, and I stood in the kitchen for a minute thinking about what I could actually make on my own that felt like the same category of thing — warm, filling, something the kids would eat without negotiation. I had ham in the deli drawer and a tube of dough, and that was enough. This Ham ’N’ Cheese Stromboli is not soup, but it has that same quality: it is food that says someone took care of things, even when taking care of things is hard.

Ham ’N’ Cheese Stromboli

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tube (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust dough
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 8 oz deli ham, thinly sliced
• 6 oz provolone or Swiss cheese, sliced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Pinch of flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Roll the dough. Unroll the pizza crust onto the prepared baking sheet and gently stretch it into a roughly 12×9-inch rectangle. Do not tear the dough — work from the center outward.
3. Spread the mustard. Brush the mustard evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Sprinkle the garlic powder and Italian seasoning over the mustard layer.
4. Layer the fillings. Lay the ham slices evenly over the mustard, then layer the provolone (or Swiss) on top. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the cheese layer.
5. Roll and seal. Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log, jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam firmly to seal, then tuck and press the ends closed. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet.
6. Brush and score. Brush the top and sides of the stromboli with the beaten egg. Using a sharp knife, cut 4–5 shallow diagonal slits across the top to allow steam to escape. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and finish with a pinch of flaky salt.
7. Bake. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until deep golden brown and the dough is cooked through. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.
8. Rest and slice. Let the stromboli rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before slicing. Cut into 6 even pieces and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 890mg