Not so long ago I posted about pissaladiere, that summer favorite from the Côte d’Azur. While visiting my mother recently, she urged me to take a turn at making one. Growing up, I used to watch her with interest as she cooked meals that weren’t just delicious but interesting. Some from cookbooks she collected (a passion that I picked up from my mother, it seems) – and others from her French background, including, quiche, boulettes de viande or meatballs, and of course pissaladiere.

As a kid I liked her exotic dishes. I still do, only now we cook together. And enjoy them together. Whether it’s the anchovies on top, or eating a pissaladiere at room temp, it’s all good. Sort of like wine that needs to breathe. Somehow letting the dish cool down releases the flavors of all the ingredients. Letting the salty filets, olives and onions mellow for a better degustation. Of course you can eat it hot, but we happen to like it room temperature, a family idiosyncrasy I guess.

Pissaladiere:

Dough:

1.5 tsp yeast

400g flour (you may need to add in more depending on your flour.)

.05g corn meal (optional

280g water

20g oil

8g salt

Mix dough and let rise till doubled. Fold dough once or twice depending on feel or strength of dough. At this divide into two balls and rest, 15-25 minutes. Roll out to a circle about 8 to 12 inches, remember, not too thin.

Topping:

2 large onions,(I mixed white and red, just because I had some and I like both!)

1 Tbsp. Herbs: thyme, rosemary, chopped or Herbs de Provençe, (if using dry herbs, remember it’s stronger!)

1-2 tsp Olive oil

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

8-10 anchovy fillets,(you could soak in milk if you want to mellow the flavor,optional.)

12 Pitted Niçoise olives (we only had some cured Italian or something, black and cured are just as nice, but Niçoise would really make it certified!)

1 Sliced tomato (Now here is where we veer from the orthodox, usually you don’t put tomatoes, but this is how my maman does it and she comes from that part of the world, so she should know?)

Thinly slice the onions.Sweat the onions with oil, add herbs, bay leafs and cook over medium heat till translucent, season  salt and pepper to taste and cool.

Slice tomato. Cover the dough with onions evenly spread out. Crisscross the anchovies all over the pissaladiere. Add pitted olives either whole or cut in half, cover the pissaladiere with tomato slice and bake in a pre-heated 420 F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes till the edges are golden and the bottom is golden browned.