Tapas

French Onion Pizza by Lynette Rohrer Shirk

This French pizza, known as pissaladière, is heaped with buttery cooked onions and studded with salty Niçoise olives and anchovies.

½ package yeast

3 tablespoons warm water

¼ teaspoon sugar

1¼ cups flour, plus more for kneading

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup cool water

¾ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

3 large onions, peeled

Pinch kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 fresh thyme sprigs

½ cup pitted Niçoise olives

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine yeast with the warm water, sugar, and ¼ cup flour. Let sit 10 minutes. Add olive oil, cool water, salt, and ½ cup flour and combine with a wooden spoon. Add remaining flour and mix to form dough.
Knead dough on a floured board for 5 minutes, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Let dough rise covered in an oiled bowl for 1 hour in a warm place. Punch down dough and roll it into a tight ball and let rise, covered, for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet. Cut the onion into thin slices and cook them slowly in the butter over medium-low heat until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, sprinkle the fresh thyme leaves on the onions, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Roll or stretch the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Place the dough onto a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet and let rest 15 minutes.
Spread the cooked onions over the dough round and arrange the olives evenly around. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and bake for 15 minutes, until crisp. Cut into squares to serve.

Plump raisins in warm water and Marsala or sherry, then poke them into pizza or foccacia dough before baking to make a delicious treat.