My Pissaladière or the French-Italian Collision!




Continuing with my provençal recipes, how to avoid the "pissaladière"? Mind you, it is not a thing to be avoided, a close encounter will be much appreciated !!! "La pissaladière" is normally made with bread or pizza dough, onions (in an important quantity), anchovies and black olives....


Since this is my version, I changed the bread dough for a good and generous layer of puff pastry! (not the thin thing you buy at the supermarket...) I bought this one, though ;D .... but it is the good-quality, pure butter, frozen (or not) puff pastry that you adapt to your purposes...we need a thick layer here, crispy, that will fill your mouth and plate with buttery flakes....


And then lots of onions, that we will sauté in olive oil, slowly....not changing colour, to receive at last!! the visit of some sumptuous honey to turn the Cinderella onions into sweet royalty.....The salty anchovies will make their statement, though ! This is why I decided not to include olives...(sorry purists!) Tomatoes? Some people say yes, some people say no...You can add some Provence herbs...Basil? not in the original...but Nice is so close to Ventimiglia that I said "yes" to the Italian intrusion !!!! I added some shredded leaves to the onions, and some leaves for decoration..



This pissaladière (that is a pizza "à  la française", with neither cheese nor tomato sauce) can be served in small squares as an appetizer....in smallish circles as a first course.....or in a more generous size, if served as main course, with a salad....Now, don't come up with a huge thing!!!!  otherwise it will lose its French charm....and we want to be "chic", don't we? (smile)



Enjoy it!!

PS: I always make all the doughs in my recipes, except puff pastry! Why? Because it takes too much time, patience and room to make it at home (if you saw my tiny kitchen!) and because in France and in Argentina (I don't know about the other countries) there are excellent suppliers of home-made puff pastry...so I profit from them!

Interested in this super-easy recipe?




To make this pissaladière, you will need:
(I made 4  10cm-squares, and 2 16cm-circles)
 * puff pastry, 500gr
 * green onions, thinly sliced, 250gr
 * shallots, sliced, 4
 * basil leaves, to taste
 * olive oil, 5 tablespoons
 * honey, 3 tablespoons (or to taste)
 * anchovies in oil (to taste)
 * cherry tomatoes (for decoration)


Defrost your puff pastry putting it in the refrigerator. Take it out when it is still quite cold (not completely soft!) On a floured board, and using a slightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough till it is 4mm high. Cut the squares or circles. Place them on a baking tray with parchment paper slightly sprinkled with cold water. Put the tray in the fridge. Remember good puff pastry has generous butter, so in the summer, all this process has to be done quickly to prevent the butter from melting! Also, puff pastry inflates due to the temperature shock...this is why we need a cold dough that goes to a very hot oven!!
Sauté the onions and shallots in the olive oil, using a pan at medium/low heat..onions should stay white, add the honey and cook in low 5'. Salt & pepper if necessary
Preheat your oven 210°C. Take the baking sheet from the fridge, prick the pastry with a fork, 
accomodate the onions on the squares or circles, add the anchovies, sprinkle with the shredded basil leaves. Here I used some piment d'Espelette for the colour and extra flavour!
Bake till deep golden. Once out of the oven, you can decorate with some cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves!


Comments

Nancy said…
Beautiful shots Cristina, bravo! I love your recipe , it sounds fairly easy to make but sounds and looks like it's full of flavor, I love it.
Adelina said…
I love puff pastry. I even had it for breakfast this morning.
This looks like a really good recipe!
Unknown said…
Oh. My. Goodness! I feel like eating this off my screen, Cristina... It looks so delicious that I want to make some at home. You're lucky to be in Paris where they sell the good puff pastries. I might have to bribe my daughter to make me some from scratch, as she's brilliant at stuff like this! Good stuff and wonderful photography, Cristina.
Ambika said…
Wonderful!! I also love using puff pastry for savory treats! Beautiful clicks...
Magic of Spice said…
This is fantastic, a must try. I think the puff pastry really makes this extra special:)
Torviewtoronto said…
Looks delicious love making puff pastry
Unknown said…
Beautiful dish, love your photographs, I want to go to the south of France, you've inspired me, thanks:-)
Tiffany said…
What a lovely recipe, thank you for sharing!
Nina said…
Absolutely gorgeous photos!
compliments!
fromBAtoParis said…
@ Pacheco Patty:

Maybe, I should open a travel agency? ;D
More "south of France" is coming soon!
fromBAtoParis said…
@ All dear readers:

Thanks a lot for your kind comments! I REALLY appreciate them!
Unknown said…
You cant go wrong with puff pastry :). I love the way your pissaladiere turned out with it.
Have a wonderful weekend.
*kisses* HH
Looks delicious, and yes its a departure from the 'classic' dish but this is what I love about food. Bravo!
Chef Chuck said…
This looks so flaky and good, my mouth is beginning to water! I love your honey additive to the onions!!{Sweet}
Cristina,
The "French-Italian Collision", is one of great impact!!
Photos are spectacular!
Jason Phelps said…
I love the technique information. I have seen this dish on menus but didn't know what it was. Problem solved.

thank you

Jason
Stella said…
I'm not a purist, Cristina! If it's good, I'll try it. And probably eat it all too (smile). This is beautiful, and looks so incredibly appetizing. It's morning time here, and I could eat it now for breakfast.
p.s. I don't normally like to promote something from my own blog, b/c I think that's obnoxious;). But I have a quick puff pastry recipe that I think a very capable chef like you would appreciate-maybe.
Hope you have a relaxing weekend.
xo, Stella
fromBAtoParis said…
Thanks for the tip, Stella. I will check!!!!
One of the classics! Great photos! Enjoy your weekend!
This looks beautiful! I can't wait to make this.
Cristina said…
Cristina, you make beautiful looking food. I would love to be a guest at your table. I enjoy the flavors and simplicity of this and that no cheese or tomato sauce was used. Beautifully presented.
Cristina - you are one of those who could not take a bad picture if you wanted to! This is delightful! I love anchovies and I am very hungry right now ;)
fromBAtoParis said…
@ Cristina,

I would love to have a dinner at home, with all of us, fellow bloggers...You'll always be welcome!
I JUST had this a week ago. It was completely divine! Thanks for the recipe!
Nisha said…
That looks awesome. I would love to have it right now as a midnight snack! Oh and by the way I tried making your frasier and it did turn out really well! Especially the cocoa mirror glaze! Simply delicioso!
DO check it out on my blog and let me know what you think!
fromBAtoParis said…
Nisha

You have done a great job with the fraisier>>>
Congrats!!!!!
sensiblecooking said…
What a wonderful recipe. Though I don't like anchovies I am going to give this recipe a try.
bunkycooks said…
This is fabulous and I wish I had this for dinner tonight instead of where we went to grab a quick bite! I hope you have a delightful vacation and I wish I could be there, too! Enjoy!
Tuula said…
Looks really beautiful, amazing photos! I've seen a lot of Pissaladière at the boulangeries but yours looks much better, congrats!
fromBAtoParis said…
@ everybody

Thanks a lot!!!!

@ Tuula

Thanks!! That is a real compliment...
Claudia said…
Truly gorgeous and you love using the puff pastry - it really saves time and lets you concentrate on your delectable toppings.
Your pissaladières are beautiful and very tempting! Lovely presentation.

cheers,

Rosa

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