A pissaladière is often described as a French pizza, but that doesn't really do it justice. Originating from Nice on the Côte d'Azur, it's built on a simple bread dough topped with slowly cooked onions, anchovies and black olives. The onions become sweet and meltingly soft, balancing the salty richness of the anchovies, while good olive oil brings everything together.
Serve it warm or at room temperature with a crisp green salad. It's equally at home as a light lunch, cut into small squares for drinks with friends or packed up for a summer picnic.
For the best flavour, use Spanish onions. Their natural sweetness really comes into its own during the long, slow cooking, creating the rich, caramelised base that makes this dish so special. Don't be tempted to rush this step - it's worth taking your time. As with many simple dishes, the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference, so use the best anchovies and extra virgin olive oil you can find. The difference is worth it.
Mix the flour, salt and yeast, then stir in 150ml lukewarm water (approx.) and olive oil to form a soft dough. Knead for around 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm until doubled in size.
While the dough is proving, prepare the topping. Peel and thinly slice the onions, finely slice the garlic, pick the thyme leaves and set aside the anchovies and olives.
Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a low heat, then add the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaf with a pinch of sea salt. Cook gently for around an hour, stirring occasionally, until the onions are meltingly soft, sweet and lightly golden. Take your time here - this slow cooking is what gives the pissaladière its depth of flavour.
Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Knock back the dough and stretch it into a lightly oiled baking tray or large baking sheet. Leave for 20 minutes to relax.
Remove the bay leaf and spread the cooked onions evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edge. Take the anchovies and olives you set aside earlier, arranging the anchovies in a criss-cross pattern over the onions and nestling the olives into the spaces between before baking.
Bake for 18-25 minutes until the base is crisp and golden. Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil and a twist of black pepper before serving.
6 servings