Makes 1 large rectangle or enough to serve 6
A specialty of the south of France (originally from Nice), where it's served in every cafe and roadside restaurant, pissaladiere is a flatbread similar to pizza, topped with jammy onions and anchovies. This is a pie for anchovy lovers. Buy pizza dough already made and shape it into a rectangle (most traditional), though it might just as easily be formed a round. Yeast dough sometimes needs a rest between rolls. Roll it initially on the counter, then lift it onto a rolling pin and ease it onto a rimless baking sheet. Roll it again right on the sheet. Onions need to cook low and slow. Give them a full hour to turn deliciously jammy. Spread them on the dough, add a crosshatch of anchovies that you've cut in half lengthwise so they make thin lines, dot with black olives, setting them here and there, or in a pattern. The flatbread goes into a hot oven on the bottom shelf. If you have a pizza stone, let it heat in the oven and slide the rectangle, still on the parchment paper, onto the stone to bake. When you pull the large, golden pissaladiere from the oven, everyone who loves anchovies will jump for joy.
| ¼ | cup olive oil |
| 3 | medium sweet onions, thinly sliced |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| Handful fresh thyme or oregano sprigs, leaves coarsely chopped | |
| Flour (for sprinkling) | |
| 1 | pound prepared pizza dough |
| Olive oil (for brushing) | |
| 2 | jars or cans (2 to 3 ounces each) flat anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and halved lenthwise |
| ½ | pint pitted black dry-cured Moroccan or other black olives (about 30) |
| Extra fresh thyme or oregano leaves (for sprinkling) |
1. Line a large unrimmed baking sheet (about 11-by-16-inches) with parchment paper.
2. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add the onions, salt, pepper, and the thyme or oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Turn the heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes. The mixture will start to stick to the bottom of the pan and brown at the edges. Stir often until all the liquid has evaporated from the pan and the onions have a jammy quality. The second part may take only 20 minutes. (Total onion cooking time is 50 to 60 minutes.)
3. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured counter, roll the dough to a rectangle about 12-by-8-inches. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes. Lift the dough onto the rolling pin and ease it onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll the dough to the size of the baking sheet. You can also press the dough with your hands to the edges of the sheet. If the dough doesn't seem to want to stretch, let it rest again; then continue rolling.
4. Set the oven at 450 degrees. Slide an oven rack to the lowest level.
5. Spread the onions in a thin layer on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Brush the uncovered edges with olive oil. Arrange the anchovies in a cross-hatch pattern on top. Sprinkle with olives or set an olive where the anchovies cross.
6. Bake the pissaladiere for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the sheet from back to front halfway through baking, or until the pissaladiere is golden brown at the edges. Slide the pissaladiere off the parchment paper onto a rack to cool.
7. Sprinkle with extra thyme or oregano. To serve, make 2 lengthwise cuts and 3 crosswise cuts to form 12 rectangles.
Sheryl Julian
Makes 1 large rectangle or enough to serve 6
A specialty of the south of France (originally from Nice), where it's served in every cafe and roadside restaurant, pissaladiere is a flatbread similar to pizza, topped with jammy onions and anchovies. This is a pie for anchovy lovers. Buy pizza dough already made and shape it into a rectangle (most traditional), though it might just as easily be formed a round. Yeast dough sometimes needs a rest between rolls. Roll it initially on the counter, then lift it onto a rolling pin and ease it onto a rimless baking sheet. Roll it again right on the sheet. Onions need to cook low and slow. Give them a full hour to turn deliciously jammy. Spread them on the dough, add a crosshatch of anchovies that you've cut in half lengthwise so they make thin lines, dot with black olives, setting them here and there, or in a pattern. The flatbread goes into a hot oven on the bottom shelf. If you have a pizza stone, let it heat in the oven and slide the rectangle, still on the parchment paper, onto the stone to bake. When you pull the large, golden pissaladiere from the oven, everyone who loves anchovies will jump for joy.
| ¼ | cup olive oil |
| 3 | medium sweet onions, thinly sliced |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| Handful fresh thyme or oregano sprigs, leaves coarsely chopped | |
| Flour (for sprinkling) | |
| 1 | pound prepared pizza dough |
| Olive oil (for brushing) | |
| 2 | jars or cans (2 to 3 ounces each) flat anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and halved lenthwise |
| ½ | pint pitted black dry-cured Moroccan or other black olives (about 30) |
| Extra fresh thyme or oregano leaves (for sprinkling) |
1. Line a large unrimmed baking sheet (about 11-by-16-inches) with parchment paper.
2. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add the onions, salt, pepper, and the thyme or oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Turn the heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes. The mixture will start to stick to the bottom of the pan and brown at the edges. Stir often until all the liquid has evaporated from the pan and the onions have a jammy quality. The second part may take only 20 minutes. (Total onion cooking time is 50 to 60 minutes.)
3. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured counter, roll the dough to a rectangle about 12-by-8-inches. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes. Lift the dough onto the rolling pin and ease it onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll the dough to the size of the baking sheet. You can also press the dough with your hands to the edges of the sheet. If the dough doesn't seem to want to stretch, let it rest again; then continue rolling.
4. Set the oven at 450 degrees. Slide an oven rack to the lowest level.
5. Spread the onions in a thin layer on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Brush the uncovered edges with olive oil. Arrange the anchovies in a cross-hatch pattern on top. Sprinkle with olives or set an olive where the anchovies cross.
6. Bake the pissaladiere for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the sheet from back to front halfway through baking, or until the pissaladiere is golden brown at the edges. Slide the pissaladiere off the parchment paper onto a rack to cool.
7. Sprinkle with extra thyme or oregano. To serve, make 2 lengthwise cuts and 3 crosswise cuts to form 12 rectangles.
Sheryl Julian can be reached at sheryl.julian@globe.com.