Ingredients
Equipment
Method
For the Focaccia
- Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and honey and let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy. **1⅓ warm water, 2¼ tsp active dry yeast, 1 tbsp honey
- Add the salt, rosemary, half of the olive oil, and half of the flour. Mix on low until a loose dough forms. Start adding the remaining flour in half-cup increments, waiting for each addition to become fully integrated before adding more.4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp kosher salt, ¼ cup fresh rosemary needles, 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- Once the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and is only slightly tacky to the touch, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth and silky.
- Stretch the dough to roughly fit an oiled 9x13 baking pan. *** Drizzle the surface of the dough with a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for an hour and a half or until doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F. Once the dough has risen, create a series of divots on the surface of the dough using your fingers. Gently coax the dough into the corners of the pan. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating once halfway through, or until golden.4 tbsp olive oil
- Take the focaccia out of the oven and remove from the pan. Let cool for 10 minutes prior to topping.
For the Pistachio Labneh
- Bring a small pot of water up to a boil. Take it off of the heat and immediately add the pistachios. Leave them to soak for 2 minutes.170g (6oz) lightly seasoned shelled pistachios
- Drain the nuts and transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel. Place another paper towel on top and rub. This will help loosen the skin on the nuts. Peel the skins from the pistachios and place them in a food processor. **** Blitz until very fine.
- Place the nuts in a bowl and add the yogurt and salt. Stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to two layers of cheesecloth. Gather the cloth to form a bundle and suspend it over the sink or bowl. Set aside to drain for a minimum of 2 hours but not more than 8.1 cup Greek yogurt, ½ tsp salt
To Assemble
- Transfer the Pistachio Labneh to a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe dollops of labneh all over the focaccia but only use as much as you think necessary, don't feel obligated to use it all.
- Nestle the slices of mortadella on top of the focaccia and top with the mozzarella, crushed red pepper flakes, and rosemary needles. Finish with a drizzle of honey and slice and serve.12 slices mortadella, 1 ball fresh mozzarella, crushed red pepper flakes, fresh rosemary needles, honey
Notes
** If the mixture doesn't appear foamy after 10 minutes, discard it. The yeast is no longer active. You will have to replace it with fresher yeast.
*** The dough will be much too small for the pan at this point but it will fill it as it rises.
**** This step helps preserve the green color of the pistachios. You can make this more intense by using raw pistachios. I prefer the flavor of roasted however so that's what I went with. If you rather not go through the trouble of peeling the skins, don't. The finished labneh will taste the same it will just have a murkier color.