How to make a Pissaladière

An onion, anchovy, tomato and olive tart which the French call the Pissaladière. It is their answer to the original Neapolitan pizza  because as Anne Willan describes it in her recipe book ‘The Country Cooking of France‘, it has a yeast dough base. A pizza dough base is almost a replica of this particular yeast dough base. Some cooks make a quicker version using a short crust pastry but this isn’t authentic and would be a poor imitation although it might be easier and quicker.

The Pissaladière originally came from the Pays Niçois region which borders Italy. Anne Willan describes it as topped with much more onion and fewer tomatoes than a typical pizza but it must always includes anchovy. It can be baked in a large tart pan, or flat on a baking sheet. She also suggests although does not recommend that the best black olives used for the topping are brined with less salt than the classic Greek-style olive. Personally, it probably doesn’t matter once it is cooked.  The olives of Nyon in northern Provence are said to be ideal for the job. 

Margaret Fulton in her cookbook gives a no nonsense approach to baking this dish. She serves it as a cocktail party fizzer, for a simple lunch or something more sophisticated for the dinner table. It always creates a stir whenever it is served up.

You van if you want caramelize the onions beforehand by browning because that creates a slightly different variant. I think both work equally well and the onions when cooked or fried are browning well anyway.

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The equipment required is straightforward:

• 29 cm by 21 cm rectangular flan ring
• rolling pin
• clingfilm

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups plain flour a pinch of salt
• 125g butter
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup water
• 1kg onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• four medium tomatoes,
• sliced 12 anchovy fillets
• 20 pitted black olives

Preparation time: 30 minutes, cooking time 45 minutes. Serves 6 to 8

Preparation:

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter until this mixture resembles bread crumbs.  Stir in the water and mix to form a dough.  Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the onions in the olive oil over a very low heat for at least 30 minutes. Then, when the onions are cooked but not brown, remove from the heat and drain, reserving the oil.  Allow to cool.  Preheat the oven to 200ºC. 
3. Roll out the pastry and line a 29 cm by 21 cm rectangular flan ring.  Spread the cool onions over the pastry, garnish with tomatoes, anchovy fillets and olives.  Drizzle with the reserved oil.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.