Panini

Photo: flickr user secretlondon123

Ingredients

1 recipe Figs Pizza Dough

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup trimmed, thinly-sliced fennel bulb

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

coarse salt

freshly-ground black pepper

juice of 1 lemon

30 fresh basil leaves

8 slices fresh mozzarella, 1/2" thick

2 teaspoons capers

Preparation

Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of an oven. Heat oven to 500 degrees.

On a heavily floured surface, roll out half the dough into a 10-inch circle as thin as possible. Rub with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Using a pizza peel, transfer the dough to the pizza stone, and bake until the dough puffs and is slightly golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat the process with remaining dough.

Using a towel, remove the crust from the oven, and place on a cutting board. Top half the crust with fennel, zest, 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon juice, 10 basil leaves, and mozzarella. Sprinkle the capers, remaining 5 basil leaves, and 2 teaspoons olive oil over the mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper and a final squeeze on the lemon half. Fold the crust in half. Using the back of a heavy saute pan, press the panini together. Repeat process with remaining panini.

Return the panini to the oven, and bake until the filling is just warmed through. Transfer the panini from the oven to a cutting board, cut the panini in half on the bias, and cut into smaller pieces pieces. Serve immediately.