Pissaladiere
Cookbook Challenge: Week 31
Theme: French
Recipe: Pissaladiere
From: The Australian Women’s Weekly “Kitchen”
Dear Cookbook Challengers in Melbourne! See the end of this post for details of a meet up!
The theme for this week’s Cookbook Challenge is French, and initially I was stumped. What could I make for French week that would be fairly easy and only involved ingredients already in my pantry?
But after a bit more thinking, I realised there’s TONS of things that come from French cooking! I almost made a dessert (it was a toss up between brulee or clafoutis) but, despite all the sweet things on this blog, I don’t actually have a huge sweet tooth. (Lots of sweet things make an appearance here because they’re easier to photograph…..! Confession time!) So rather than dessert, I made pissaladiere – an onion and anchovy tart.
The recipe I followed for the pissaladiere had a bread type base, although I believe pastry can also be used. The topping is made from a rather large amount of slowly cooked onions, on to which anchovy fillets and olives are placed. Oh. Notice anything missing on mine? I ran out of olives so mine is sans olives!
Despite the missing olives, the pissaladiere was DELICIOUS. There’s something about the combination of the bready base, sweet onions and the salty fishiness of the anchovies that really did it for me. I know lots of people don’t like anchovies, but gosh it’s worth acquiring the taste for them, just so you can eat pissaladiere!
And now an announcement for all Cookbook Challengers in Melbourne! April and I have been discussing a meet up and we have decided on a date. It’ll be a potluck lunch on Sunday 11 July – with the theme being Spanish (which is the theme for the week after – so if you come, you get to tick off your dish for the following week!). Email me or comment on this post if you’re interested. And if you’re a lapsed Cookbook Challenger, perhaps this could be the motivation to get back into it?! ๐
See previous Cookbook Challenge posts here.
Pissaladiere
From AWW Kitchen
Serves 6
50g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large onions (600g), peeled and sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tablespoon baby capers, rinsed
3/4 cup (110g) self-raising flour
3/4 cup (11g) plain flour
30g butter, extra
3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk
20 drained anchovy fillets, halved lengthways
1/2 cup (90g) small seeded black olives
Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over low heat and add the onions, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Cover the pot and let the mixture cook gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the onions to be soft but not browned.
Let the mixture cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme, and stir in the capers.
Preheat the oven to 220ยฐC and oil an oven tray.
Make the base by sifting the flours into a large bowl. Rub in the extra butter, and then stir in the buttermilk to form a soft dough (mine needed more flour). Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth.
Roll the dough into a rectangular shape that is about 25cm x 35cm. Place on to the tray.
Spread the onion mixture over the dough, up to the edges. Top with the anchovy fillets, placing them in a diamond pattern. Put an olive in the middle of each diamond.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the base is crisp.
penny aka jeroxie
June 20, 2010 @ 10:18 pm
This looks seriously good. YOu have given me an idea how to use the big jar of anchovies that I bought from casa. Is potluck at your place?
Hannah
June 20, 2010 @ 11:37 pm
Fishie fishie fishies! I don't know who these people are who don't like anchovies – methinks they're against the idea of them, and haven't realised how much they contribute to an overall umami taste. Darn right I just said umami. I should be on Masterchef.
I really like how your recipe uses a bread base, too – somehow, it fits in my head as more substantial and appropriate for dinner. Also, yum. Bravo, St Ends (P.S. I'm compltely confused as to who is St Ends and who Be Fri. I have this feeling we keep switching :D)
Jess
June 21, 2010 @ 11:09 pm
OMG, I LOVE pissaladiere.
Perfectly terrible for one's health.
NOM
Mary
June 22, 2010 @ 12:48 am
This is one of my favorite savory pies and your version of it looks amazing. I use an old Julia Child recipe for the one I usually make. I am new to your blog and spent some time perusing your older posts. I love your recipes and the tone of your blog. I'll be back often. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
Von
June 22, 2010 @ 9:34 pm
This looks so good! I love onions, but I don't think I've ever had anchovies before…..I'm curious though =] I've never heard of pissaladiere before, yours look really good- now I want to try it too! The bread base makes it sort of look like a pizza =P
redmenace
June 23, 2010 @ 4:29 am
Oh my goodness. This is lovely. I think my husband would go mad for this tart. Thanks for sharing! Lovely blog!
Agnes
June 23, 2010 @ 10:10 pm
Penny: Big jar of anchovies? Yum! Potluck at mine. ๐
Hannah: Be Fri or St Ends (whichever one you are today!), yes, who are these people who don't like anchovies? And why don't they like them? And yes, go on Masterchef! I'd watch you!
Jess: Nom beats health anyday!
Mary: thanks for the visit and the comment ๐ It's such a delicious pie, I'm definitely going to make it often!
Von: Yes, the base is similar to pizza. Wow, you've never had anchovies? Just imagine a big burst of salty fishiness ๐
redmenance: aww, thanks for the comment!
mademoiselle dรฉlicieuse
June 27, 2010 @ 1:49 am
Absolute yum as I love anchovies, tarts and pretty much all things French =)
Sarah
June 27, 2010 @ 7:08 pm
Looks great! I love pissaladiere!
xox Sarah
Agnes
June 28, 2010 @ 9:36 pm
mademoiselle: Oh me too! Particularly tarts.. mhmmmmmm.
Sarah: Pissaladiere rocks! I really like saying it too, hehee.
Conor @ Hold the Beef
July 4, 2010 @ 10:27 pm
I love Pissaladiere. This looks so damn good! I wonder if sticking some anchovies on toast will appease my sudden craving. I doubt it ๐
Agnes
July 5, 2010 @ 8:50 pm
Conor: probably not, but possibly worth a shot? ๐
Jurgita
July 6, 2010 @ 2:48 am
I love the pissaladiere, however even more I like the plate and the background! ๐