Delicious White Bean and Caramelized Fennel Mini-Calzones

I finally tried this recipe from the New York Times but I tweaked it a little bit. You can find the original here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/dining/white-bean-and-caramelized-onion-calzone-recipe.html

It's delicious and the fennel taste mellows a bit with the caramelization process. I used store-bought pizza dough to make it a little easier and it turned out great! I also like the idea of mini-calzones because that way you can serve multiple people... or if you make them REALLY small you can even serve them as hors d'oeuvres/finger food.

White Bean and Caramelized Fennel Mini-Calzones

Fennel and onion prior to caramelization

Ingredients:

-pizza dough

-1 large fennel bulb with fronds

-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more as needed

-1 large white onion, halved root to stem and thinly sliced

-1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed (optional)

-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
-1 3/4 cups cooked white beans (about 1 can, drained and rinsed)
-1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

-All-purpose flour, as needed

-1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt


Fennel and onion after caramlization



-Lemon wedges, for serving

Method:

Remove the stems from the fennel bulb. Chop 2 tablespoons of fronds and save the remaining fronds for another use. Halve the bulb lengthwise, remove the core, and thinly slice each half.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil, fennel bulb, onion and fennel seed. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Bean puree

In a small bowl, mash the beans with 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until they form a chunky purée.

Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet, or flour up a pizza stone.

Lightly flour a work surface, and stretch or roll the dough into a rectangle shape. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 6-8 smaller squares. Spread the bean mixture on half of the dough, leaving a half-inch border. Top with the fennel-onion mixture and sprinkle with fennel fronds. Brush the edges of the dough with water, and fold dough in half, over filling; pinch the edges of the dough together to seal.

Transfer calzones to baking sheet. Brush the top with olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until crust is golden brown and firm, 15 minutes or so. Let cool 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.







Calzones before going in the oven



Finished product