Pissaladière with white anchovy and olive

Traditionally from Nice, this dish is thought to have originated from a 15th century Genoese recipe. Thick pizza dough is topped with caramelised onions, black olives and of course, anchovies – the most celebrated of which are from Collioure, where they have been fished by net and salted by hand since the Middle Ages. This version uses puff pastry, marinated white anchovies and goat’s cheese.

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 375 g puff pastry, rolled into a 5 mm-thick sheet
• 200 g drained Ligurian olives, sliced
• 250 g white anchovies, drained
• 3 tbsp drained marinated goat cheese, crumbled
• 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 50 ml good quality extra virgin olive oil

Caramelised onions

• 200 ml vegetable oil
• 2 kg brown onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 bunch thyme, leaves picked and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Cooling time: 30 minutes

Wine pairing: Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling, Eden Valley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

1. For the caramelised onions, heat the oil in a large wide saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and season with salt, then cook, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add the garlic and thyme, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring regularly for about 1 hour or until soft and caramelised. Remove and stand for 30 minutes to cool.

2. Place a heavy baking tray in the oven to preheat. Place the rolled puff pastry on another baking tray lined with baking paper. Using a small, sharp knife, mark a 1 cm border along the edges of the pastry, being careful not to cut it all the way through. Spread the puff pastry with the caramelised onion within the border. Slide the puff pastry tray with the baking paper underneath onto the tray in the oven, then reduce the oven temperature to 180˚C. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bottom of the pastry is golden and crisp. Check the pissaladiere after 10 minutes and if the onions are getting too dark, reduce the temperature to 170˚C.

3. Remove the pastry from the oven and arrange the anchovies over the top in a lattice pattern with the olives in the middle. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with the crumbled goat’s cheese, scatter with parsley and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Cut into pieces and serve.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.