French Recipe: Pissaladiere, a Cheap & Easy Tart

Pissaladière: A Classic Provençal Flatbread from Nice

This is another recipe where cheap basics can be turned into something delicious.

Perfect straight from the oven or at room temperature, this tart is easy, if you don’t rush the onions.

Pissaladière originates from Provence, especially the city of Nice. It’s a staple of Provençal cuisine - a simple, flavorful mix of onions, anchovies and olives, all of which are cheap and common there. The name "Pissaladière" is derived from the word "pissalat," a type of anchovy paste used in early versions of the dish (it’s likely as old as garum).

A “tart” is sweet, typically. This one gets all its sugar from the onions. French onions are typically pungent and this ends up sweet & savory. Vidalias will add even more sweetness. I tend to just use whatever I have.

K

Notes:

·      Take your time with the onions – this recipe is all about slowly carmelized onions to sweetness. Crunchy dry onions and that’s not so appealing.

·      You can also use pizza dough for this, which works out really well. Pre-made bases for this will make it quick and easy.

Pissaladière: A Classic Provençal Flatbread from Nice

Serves 4-6

Time: about an hour (20 prepping, 40 cooking)

Ingredients:

·  Olive oil & butter

·  3 large or 6 small onions, finely sliced

·  Small bunch of thyme (HDP - Herbes de Provence works as well)

·  13 oz (1 sheet) puff pastry or pre-made pizza dough (365g).

·  A jar of anchovies, around 5 oz (150g) – or not if you don’t like them

·  half a jar of black olives, around 3 oz (90g) – I add more

·  A few sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (optional, but a nice idea)

Method:

1. Cook onions slowly in a deep pan with a blend of olive oil & butter, adding thyme or HDP, if using, until soft and sweet (about 20 minutes).

2. Lay pastry or dough on non-stick baking paper. With pastry, score a border about ½”(2cm) from the edge, but not all the way through.

3. Put onto a baking tray, then spread cooked onions over the pastry. Thicker is better.

4. People arrange anchovies in a lattice pattern here. While decorating with fish seems odd to me, it looks nice.

5. If decorating with fish, place a black olive in each fish-diamond. Scatter roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes if using.

6. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until the pastry is golden and risen. Use more time if your dough needs it

Tips:

·      Use a 50/50 mixture of butter and oil for the onions. They seem to sweeten better and have a richer flavor.

·      A wok makes cooking the onions easier; keep the lid on to soften, then uncover to simmer off liquid.

·      Add capers, caper berries or other ingredients like sardines to make it vegetarian.