Onion, anchovy and black olive tart (Pissaladiere)

Pissaladiere is a caramelised onion, anchovy and olive tart originating from the south of France. The Chefs' Line

Onion, anchovy and black olive tart (Pissaladiere) Credit: The Chefs' Line

• serves

  4

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

While it is traditionally made with pizza or bread dough, I prefer to use puff pastry. Cut into small pieces, it makes a great appetiser.

Ingredients

• 100 g unsalted butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp chopped thyme
• 8 onions, finely sliced
• 75 g tin anchovy fillets, drained and halved lengthways
• ½ cup pitted black olives, halved
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley leaves, to serve  

Pastry

• 325 g plain flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 250 g cold unsalted butter
• 100 ml iced water

Resting time: 1 hour 20 min

Chilling/freezing time: 30 min

Instructions

For the pastry, sift the flour and salt together onto a workbench. Grate the butter onto the flour and using your fingers, rub the butter though the flour to evenly distribute. Sprinkle the water over and using a pastry scraper or spatula start to bring the dough together. Using the heel of your hand, knead the dough by gathering in the centre and pushing away from you. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large frying over medium heat. Add the bay leaf, thyme and sliced onions and cook, stirring regularly, for 30 minutes or until the onions have very little liquid left in them and are a golden brown colour. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a rough 1 cm- thick rectangle. Fold one end of the pastry two thirds of the way over itself, then fold the other one third on top. Place on a tray, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 20 minutes. Repeat this process 2 more times. After you have rolled the pastry the third time, roll out until 4 mm-thick. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Cut out 4 rounds from the pastry, 15 cm in diameter (or leave it as is to make one large tart).

Place the pastry on a baking tray lined with baking paper. If you would like to make a decorative edge, hold the pastry in one hand and with your other thumb and forefinger press the edge firmly, then fold the pasty over and press firmly again. Repeat this all the way around the pastry so it has the appearance of a rolled or crimped edge. Spread the onions evenly over the base of the pastry, then arrange the anchovies in a criss-cross pattern on top. Fill in the spaces with the olives and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Note: 

• If you don’t wish to make the pastry, you can buy ready-rolled puff pastry. Both the pastry and the golden onions can be made the day before.

This recipe is from Series 2 of The Chefs' Line airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS. Episodes will be available after broadcast via SBS On Demand. Join the conversation #TheChefsLine on Instagram @sbsfood, Facebook @SBSFood  and Twitter @SBS_Food. Check out sbs.com.au/thechefsline for episode guides, cuisine lowdowns, recipes and more! 

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.

While it is traditionally made with pizza or bread dough, I prefer to use puff pastry. Cut into small pieces, it makes a great appetiser.