Pissalidière
Total time: 70 minutes
In the traditional Pissalidière, there are lots and lots of very slow-cooked onions, anchovies and wrinkly oil-cured black olives - with pits. If you really hate anchovies, leave them off; if you're undecided, this may convince you to like them. The feta is not traditional, but my addition. And I prefer to use pitted olives. I also sped up the cooking of the onions, but, I think, with no appreciable loss of flavor.
Ingredients:
- Crust You can use a purchased crust - but it won't save any time...
- 2/3 cup warm water, 105 - 115F, hotter will kill the yeast
- 1 pkg (2 tsp) active dry yeast fast acting if you can get it, 7.2gr, .25oz
- 1/2 tsp sugar - you need this to 'feed' the yeast, 2gr, .07oz
- 1/2 tsp salt - you need this to 'control' the yeast, 3gr, 1oz
- 1 tbs olive oil, 13.5gr, .48oz
- 2 cups flour, 250gr, 8.8oz
- Topping
- 1/2 lbs (24oz, 750gr) red onion, 700gr, 24.7oz
- 2 tsp olive oil, 9gr, .32oz
- 2 tsp butter, 9.5gr, .34oz
- 1 tsp dried savory
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves (laurel)
- 1/4 cup chicken stock, 56gr, 2oz
- 12 - 15 anchovy filets, drained, one small tin of anchovies in oil or brine - if oil, drain well, if brine, rinse and drain, 48gr, 1.7oz net weight
- 20 - 25 black olives, dry or oil-cured these are normally dry-packed and wrinkly, get pitted if possible, 80gr, 2.8oz
- 4 - 5 oz (150gr) feta cheese buy a chunk and cut it into small cubes, 1/4" (.6cm), 115gr, 4oz
- Truffle oil optional
Instructions:
- Dough
- Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let sit a few minutes to 'proof' - start to look foamy to prove that the yeast is still alive.
- If you have a mixer with a dough hook put the yeast and all remaining ingredients in mixer bowl. Blend with dough hook attachment until well mixed then kneed for an additional 3 minutes.
- Put in a warm place (75F, 24C) to rise, if possible.
- If making by hand put yeast in large bowl along with all of the rest of the ingredients minus 1/2 cup flour. Stir to combine.
- Put remaining flour on work surface, add dough and kneed until smooth and elastic - about 10 minutes. As remaining flour is incorporated dough will become less sticky.
- Put in warm place to rise.
- After dough has doubled in size, about 30 minutes, punch down.
- Lightly butter a pizza pan or large baking sheet.
- Roll dough out with a rolling pin as best you can. Then put on pan and stretch it to fit, patting it out with your fingers. If it keeps springing back wait a few minutes. Try not to put any holes in the crust. You are now ready to assemble.
- Topping
- Slice onions about 1/4" (.6cm) thick.
- Heat butter and oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until they become soft, stirring frequently.
- Add herbs and stock, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, until very soft.
- Uncover, turn heat up to medium-high and continue cooking until volume of onions has reduced by half and liquid has evaporated. Reduce heat if they start to cook too hard and/or brown. We are not caramelizing these. Cooking time should be about 45 minutes, total.
- When done, turn off heat, remove bay leaves and keep warm if not using immediately.
- To assemble: Spread onions evenly over crust.
- Arrange whole anchovies on top of onions.
- Top with whole olives and feta cubes.
- Bake at 450F (225C) for 20 - 25 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
- Remove from oven, drizzle with truffle oil if you have it, slice and serve.
---------------------------------------------------------
Nutrition Information |
General Technical Details and Disclaimer:
Measurements are actual measurements used for calculation. If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.
I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it. I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.
My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/