The Pissaladière - A Niçoise Classic
A simple and delicious variation on the Pizza.
Ingredients :
- a batch of pizza dough (recipe given below, or you can use frozen dough from your nearby store)
- one packet of baker's yeast
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup warm water
- one teaspoon sugar
mix together to check for yeast activity
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cup - 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour - enough to make a supple and smooth
dough that you can work easily (depending on the kind of flour you use, you may need less or more
than the recipe indicates). Knead for 10 minutes, put aside to rest one hour.
For the topping :
- 3-4 onions -- about 3 cups cut in very thin rounds
- 1-2 tomatoes sliced in very thin rounds
- 3 garlic cloves crushed and minced
- 10 anchovies in salt, rinsed and fileted
- 6 (3 + 3) table spoons olive oil
- 6-10 black Greek olives
In a frying pan, pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil, and add the onion rounds,
simmer and stir till just golden. Remove from the flame (about 7 minutes). Put aside.
In another frying pan, pour in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add the anchovy filets,
and let simmer, while you stir, till they melt into the olive oil and make a paste.
Add 1/2 of your minced garlic to the anchovy mixture, stir in, let sizzle for 30
seconds and remove from the flame.
Put it together:
Preheat your oven to 450F/220C, and if you've a baking stone, place it in the oven.
Roll out your dough and place it on a pan lightly covered with flour. Take your anchovy
paste and spread it evenly on your dough. Sprinkle on your minced garlic yet unused,
layer on top the sweated onions and on top of these, your thinly sliced tomatoes.
Sprinkle a half dozen black olives (optional).
Bake for 15 minutes, or till the crust is browned. Remove, slice and serve.
Excellent as an evening nibble with a light rose wine from Provence...
as good just warm as fresh from the oven.