Pissaladiere

Dame Elisabeth Luard shares her recipe for this Provencale onion tart, just in time for Bastille Day.

Bastille day, 14th July - no need to remind Francophiles that this was the moment when France decided to get rid of les aristos for good - is when the whole of northern France (everywhere from Lyons upwards) downs tools, packs itself into all and any available transport, and heads straight down the autoroute du solei for a month of r&r on the Mediterranean littoral.

 Says it all really. Sunshine and sea and cuisine du terroir.  France remains, in spite of le hypermarché and an appreciation of the cooking of her ex-colonials (Thai, Vietnamese, Moroccan), regional to her fingertips.

An elegant version of a rough-and-ready street-snack, a speciality of the bakers of Nice, and a close relation of the Italian pizza.  The pissaladiere takes its name from the finishing-flavouring of anchovies which, in Nice, come in the form of a paste, pissalat, made by pounding salt-cured anchovies (from barrel) with olive oil, cloves, thyme, pepper and bay.  In its simplest form it’s nothing more complicated than a thin crust of dough topped with a thick layer of cooked onion topped with anchovies, capers and olives. The only other requirement is that when cooked, the onion-topping must be at least as thick as the base.  Tomatoes are never included, though the base may just as easily be a yeast-raised bread-dough into which you have blended a little olive oil. In the recipe which follows, the dough is unyeasted, flavoured with lemon-zest and enriched with egg and olive oil.

Serves 6

The base

225g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium egg
1/2 teaspoon finely-grated lemon zest
About 4 tablespoons warm water

The topping

1 k onions, finely sliced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8-10 salt-cured anchovy fillets (if from the barrel, soak to de-salt)
2 tablespoons small, unpitted black olives (Nyons, snow-cured, for pref)
2 tablespoons salt-cured capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon thyme-leaves (fresh or dried)
Salt and pepper

Method 

Work the pastry ingredients together with your hand or in the processor, adding enough warm water to form the dough into a soft, smooth ball which leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Flatten it a little in preparation for rolling, cover with clingfilm or a damp cloth, and set it to rest for half an hour, while you prepare the filling.

Fry the onions gently in the oil until they soften and gild. Don’t hurry the process - allow 20 minutes - and don't let them brown.

Pre-heat the oven to 425F/220C/Gas7.

Transfer the pastry to a floured board and pat or roll it out to fit a large baking tray, about 25cm square.  Spread the dough with a thick layer of onion and finish with the anchovies, capers and black olives. Bake for 20-25 minutes, till the pastry is crisp, golden and the edges have blistered brown.