Onion & anchovy tart

Name: Onion & anchovy tart
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1.7 kg onions, finely sliced; 2 clove/s garlic, grated to a purée; 4 sprig/s thyme, leaves only; 1 tsp sugar, if needed; 100 g jar anchovies in oil, drained; About 12-18 small pitted black olives; Dressed green salad, to serve

Also known as pissaladière – this is Diana Henry's Provençal take on the Italian pizza.

5 out of 5 stars(2) Rate this recipe

Serves6
CourseMain meal
Prepare1 hr 30 mins
Cook20 mins
Total time1 hr 50 mins
Pluschilling and cooling

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Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1.7kg onions, finely sliced
2 clove/s garlic, grated to a purée
4 sprig/s thyme, leaves only
1 tsp sugar, if needed
100g jar anchovies in oil, drained
About 12-18 small pitted black olives
Dressed green salad, to serve

For the pastry

250g plain flour
150g cold butter, cubed

Method

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan that has a lid. Add the onions, turn them in the oil, then season and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, thyme, seasoning and 2 tbsp water. Put the lid on, turn the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. Check every so often to make sure the onions are moist so they don’t burn. Add a splash more water if needed.
Remove the lid and continue to cook until the onions are golden and caramelised. This process can take more than an hour. Stir often and keep an eye on them. If they are refusing to become golden enough (and you are short of time), add ½-1 tsp sugar, increase the heat and caramelise them this way. The onion mixture shouldn’t be too wet by the end or it will ruin the pastry, so turn the heat up to allow the moisture to burn off. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, to make the pastry, put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Whizz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 2-3 tbsp cold water and whizz again until it comes into a ball. Shape into a disc, wrap and put in the fridge for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6 and put a metal baking sheet in to heat up. Roll the pastry out on a piece of baking parchment until you have a rectangle measuring approximately 30 x 36cm. Trim the edges to make a neat shape. Spread the onions on top, leaving a 2cm deep border all the way around. Lay the anchovies in a trellis pattern on top and put an olive in the centre of each diamond. Slide the tart – still on the paper – onto the hot metal baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden around the edges and cooked through. Serve in slices with a green salad on the side.