This is a delicious and very traditional caramelized onion and anchovie tart which is served pretty much exclusively for 'l'apero.'
There are different versions of this tart on offer in boulangeries all over Provence, so you can find it quite easily. If you love anchovies, as I do, you will absolutely adore this recipe.
I make my pissaladière with a crisp, thin pizza crust as a base.
Every pizza crust recipe is pretty much the same - the difference is the flour your using, the climate your in, and your oven. My best results have been letting the dough rise for at least 2 hours and vigorously kneading for a good 8-10 minutes. Having a very hot wood fire oven is also tres important!
The caramelized onion topping can be made whilst the pizza crust is rising. Caramelizing onions takes at least 25 minutes.
The toppings for the pissaladière are as follows :
A light coating of anchovies paste mayonnaise- anchoïade. See recipe or this can be store bought.
A generous slathering of Caramelized onions.
Salt cured Anchovies in a jar - not the fresh kind. These are super salty and what makes this tart the perfect match with before dinner drinks.
Black cured olives, as a garnish. Salty Greek or French varieties are best.
Ingredients for 2 tarts ( 9 inch pizza crusts):
500 gr all purpose or pizza flour, 300 ml of warm water, 2 packets of dry yeast,
2 Tbs of kosher sea salt, and 2 Tbs olive oil.
Mix the warm water and dry yeast packets together in a beaker.
Add the water yeast mix into 3/4 of the flour salt mix once the yeast has bubbled up, after 3-5 minutes.
Once you've incorporated all the water and 3/4 of the flour together well it should be quite sticky and you will need to add the rest of the flour at this point, and possibly a bit more. The trick is knowing what the springy texture should look and feel like. It should be soft but firm, and easy to knead. You can add a bit more flour onto the work surface - smooth cold marble is best. Once all is incorporated you will need to firmly knead it for a good 8-10 minutes, adding the olive oil during that time. This is a fun activity to do when you have a group of people helping, taking turns kneading the dough. Once your done kneading, place the dough in a bowl and set aside in a warm dry place with a kitchen towel over the top, let the dough rise for at least 30 minutes and or up to overnight. It should double in size. Once it's risen properly it should be light and airy. Cut it into 2 even portions and roll out your dough into a thin crust. Bake at 430- 500 degrees in a pizza one for 5-8 minutes with toppings, Or in a traditional oven at 225-250 degrees for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Caramelizing the onions - 4-5 medium sweet or yellow onions, pealed and sliced in slivers.
Sauté the onions in a pan by first heating 1 Tbs of sunflower of canola oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Flip them in the pan once they are browned on one side, after about 5 minutes. Keep cooking them down and flipping them from side to side until they are golden brown, adjusting the heat so that they do not burn. Adding a light sprinkle of sugar or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar can also help the carmalizing process. This takes patience and attention - not to burn them.
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