La PissaladiÈre Recipes

CLASSIC PROVENCAL PISSALADIèRE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onions and demerara sugar and sauté , frequently stirring, until the onions become tender and start to turn golden at this point, be very careful not to burn the onions as this can leave a very bitter taste to the whole dish.
• Sprinkle the cooked onions with salt, pepper, and thyme.
• Stir the mixture and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven.
• Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, occasionally stirring, until the onions are wilted, very soft, and are a medium gold throughout, again check for burning.
• Add the vinegar during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Remove from the onions from the oven and set them aside to cool while preparing the pastry for the pissaladiere.
• Raise the oven temperature to 425 F.
• Press the thawed pastry into a rectangle on a 12-inch by 18-inch baking sheet, building it up a bit around the edges.
• Spread the pastry with the onion confit, leaving 1 inch of dough uncovered around the edges of the pastry.
• Arrange the anchovy fillets and olives on the pissaladière in a criss-cross pattern then place an olive into each rectangle pattern to make an attractive looking tart.
• Bake the tart for 15 to 25 minutes in the center of the heated oven until the pastry has puffed up, turned golden, and crisped.
• Remove the pissaladière from the oven and sprinkle the olive oil and fresh thyme across the hot surface of the tart.
• Cut it into rectangles and serve very warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

PISSALADIèRE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Finely chop 2 of the anchovy fillets. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, thyme and chopped anchovy, then cover pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in salt, and continue cooking for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should be pale golden and very soft; lower the heat if they start to turn dark brown at the edges or stick to the skillet. Use your judgment on timing: Look to the color of the onions to tell you when they're done. Remove from heat and cool completely before using.
• Meanwhile, make the dough: In a medium bowl, sprinkle dry yeast over warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes, then add oil. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt, then stir in yeast mixture with a wooden spoon until combined. Turn bowl's contents out onto a floured surface and knead until uniform and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes. (Flour your hands if necessary to keep dough from sticking.) Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, flip the dough over, cover bowl with a damp cloth and let rest in a draft-free place for 1 hour.
• Lightly oil an 11x17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Working on a floured surface, roll dough into an 11x16-inch rectangle, then transfer it to the oiled baking sheet and press the dough to the sides. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread cooked onions evenly over dough, and top with remaining anchovies and olives. Bake until edges and underside are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PISSALADIERE (ONION, OLIVE, AND ANCHOVY PIZZA)

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and 2 tablespoons oil. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pulse in enough water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form moist clumps. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill, at least 2 hours.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme; stir to blend. Cover and cook until onions are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Uncover and sauté until most liquid evaporates and onions are golden, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in capers. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Cool completely; discard bay leaf.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface to an 11-inch round. Transfer dough to the prepared sheet. Crimp edges of dough to form a stand-up border. Spread filling evenly over dough. Arrange olives and anchovies decoratively atop filling.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is crisp and golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve.

PISSALADIèRE

Steps:

• Tip the flour, salt and yeast into a bowl. Pour in the water, spoon in the oil and mix to a soft dough. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
• Return the dough to the bowl, cover with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave it to rise for 45 minutes to 1¼ hours or until the dough springs back when pressed. Don't worry too much is it takes more or less time - it's not critical for this relaxed recipe.
• While the dough is rising, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or sauté pan, throw in the onions and fry gently for about 10 minutes until softened but not browned, stirring from time to time.
• Sprinkle in the thyme and some salt and pepper, then tip in the tomatoes and stir well. Cover and cook gently for 45 minutes until the onions are meltingly soft, stirring occasionally and removing the lid for the last 10 minutes to reduce any liquid. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C. Lightly oil a shallow 23x33cm baking tin or tray. Knead the dough again briefly, then roll it out and press it into the tin. Don't leave it to rise again.
• Spread the onion mixture over the dough, then arrange the anchovies on top, making a criss-cross pattern. Stud each window between the anchovies with an olive, then bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Serve warm, cold or reheated, cut into squares.

PISSALADIERE

Steps:

• For topping:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place butter on heavy large rimmed baking sheet; place in oven until butter melts, about 5 minutes. Spread half of onions on baking sheet; top with 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs and 1 bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil. Top with remaining onions, 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs, and 1 bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil (onion layer will be about 2 1/2 inches thick but will settle during baking). Bake until onions are very tender and golden, stirring and turning every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Cool. Discard herb sprigs and bay leaves. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• For crust:
• Pour 1 cup warm water into small bowl; sprinkle yeast and sugar over. Stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Blend 2 3/4 cups flour and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons oil; process until dough clumps together, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky. Process until shiny ball forms, about 1 minute. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Coat large bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add dough to bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; cover and let rise until puffed and almost doubled, about 1 hour.
• Sprinkle heavy 17x11x1-inch baking sheet with cornmeal. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 18x12-inch rectangle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; press edges of dough up along sides and corners of sheet. Cover with dry kitchen towel; let rise until slightly puffed, 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 475°F. Spread onions over top of dough. Arrange anchovies and olives atop. Bake until crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme. Cut into 3-inch squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 4 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.)