Pissaladiera (Onion and anchovy pie) NICE Serves 8 Please don’t call this a pizza. While it resembles the thin Ligurian focaccia, or pizza bianca, it was born in the city of Nice (where it is called pissaladiera, while elsewhere in France it is called pissaladière). It is topped only with onions and anchovies and sometimes olives, but never tomato and never cheese. It is essentially a focaccia (or fougasse) covered with onions and a condiment called pissalat, a dialect word that means ‘salted fish’. Pissalat has such ancient origins, it may relate to the garum sauce to which the Romans were addicted. It can also be spread on crostini, or used for flavouring cold meats or fish, or sautéed spring vegetables. The combination of the saltiness of anchovies and the sweetness of caramelised onions is wonderful, intense and irresistible. Who needs tomatoes or cheese? 1 quantity of Focaccia dough (page 174) 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) white onions 50 ml (1¾ fl oz) olive oil a handful of small pitted black olives 10 anchovy fillets freshly ground black pepper For the pissalat 250 g (9 oz) best-quality anchovy fillets in oil 3 garlic cloves 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked 1 bay leaf 8 black peppercorns 50 ml (1¾ fl oz) olive oil First make your dough, using the previous recipe. While the ball of dough is resting, peel and thinly slice the onions, then put them in a heavy -based saucepan with the olive oil. Cook them, covered, over low heat for 1 hour, so they become like a soft jam. While the onions are cooking, make the pissalat. Place all the ingredients except the olive oil in a mortar and pound until you obtain a paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and add the olive oil, mixing with a wooden spoon, so you obtain a thick, smooth consistency. When the onions are cooked, stir the pissalat into them. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Shape the dough into your baking tin, let it rest for 30 minutes, then spread the onion mixture over the top. Stud the topping with olives and lay the anchovy fillets over in a pattern that p leases you. Grate on some black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the onions have started to brown. Slice and serve warm; the bread will be just as good the next day. Coastline by Lucio Galletto and David Dale (Murdoch Books, £25.00). .