I received a message a week or so ago from our French club president, Katie, who is graduating this year and moving to France. She wanted to organize a party and invite all the students and faculty in the French program to celebrate the end of the year and the end of this phase of life for her and her classmates. She decided on a potluck. In her message she asked if we would make something French inspired and then she wrote:

“If you are planning on coming, just e-mail me and tell me what you are bringing.”

I replied:

“I’m bringing the other professor E. with me, I hope that’s alright. I’m also bringing pissaladi?re. I’ve been telling you in our literature class all semester to look at a word and figure out what verb it is related to. This one is an exception ;). Pissaladi?re is made in the south of France. It’s like pizza but without the cheese; I thought that it would be good for the non-animal eating people. I’m going to try and make some sort of dessert as well, but I’m not sure what yet. Clafoutis, g?teau au yaourt, tarte aux pommes, tarte au citron?”

Like I said, pissaladi?re is like pizza without the cheese. The word comes from pissalat or pissala - originally peis salat or peis sala - meaning salted fish in proven?al. Traditionally, the dough was spread with a pur?e of anchovies or a combination of anchovies and sardines. If you buy it in Nice nowadays, it doesn’t have the pissalat layer, but instead will most often have a layer of caramelized onions and a harlequin pattern of anchovies dotted at intervals with black olives. There is sometimes a little cheese, but only a sprinkling. Some versions are cooked more like a pie and can even be made with pie dough or puff pastry, but these are sacrilege. The toppings and variations are endless. Because some of my students are vegan, I made one with caramelized onions and swapped the anchovies for roasted red pepper strips and I used the wrinkly oil cured olives. For the other, I used thinly sliced tomato, chopped garlic, the same olives and bits of anchovy. I finished them both with a generous dusting of herbes de Provence and a slather of olive oil.

The other professor E. (aka the husband) had decided to stay home, too much work to do he said, but as he saw me packing up the food I was bringing, he hopped in the car and came along. So predictable.

Pissaladi?re

For dough

• 1 t active dry yeast
• 1 t sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 3 cups flour
• 2 t olive oil, divided
• 1 t salt

For toppings

• 2 lbs onions
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 red peppers, roasted, seeded, skin removed
• OR
• 2 cans anchovies
• 16 oil cured olives, pitted and halved
• 1 T herbes de Provence
• Olive oil

One day ahead of time, put yeast, sugar and water in a bowl large enough to hold all of the dough ingredients (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Let sit for about ten minutes until the mixture is foamy. Add in flour, 1 teaspoon oil and salt and stir until dough forms a ball (if using stand mixer, mix with dough hook). Turn dough out onto a clean dry surface dusted with flour and knead for about 5 minutes. Place dough in a bowl with remaining teaspoon olive oil and turn dough to coat. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Wait for an hour or until dough is about doubled in size. Punch down the dough, reform it into a ball and place it in the towel or plastic covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight. The dough may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen and defrosted before proceeding to the next steps.

Peel and thinly slice onions into half rounds. Cook them with 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium low heat for about two hours. Stir occasionally and add water if they start to stick or get too brown. Add the garlic during the last 20 minutes or so. Let cool before using (may be done 1-3 days ahead and can also be frozen). Preheat oven to highest temperature possible (mine claims to go to 550 degrees). Put about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a rimmed baking sheet and stretch pizza dough to fit (if it’s fighting with you, cover it, let it rest and try a second time). Spread a thin layer of caramelized onion over dough, decorate with pepper strips or anchovies and dot with halved olives. Sprinkle on herbes de Provence and drizzle a little olive oil over everything, brushing some on the exposed edges. Cover with a towel and let rise about 20 minutes. Cook in pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes, or just until the edges start to brown. Let rest at least 10 minutes before cutting. May be served hot or at room temperature.