Stone Baked Pissaladiere with Smokey wood-fired Onions

Method

1. Cut the onions in half, finely slice and place in a cast iron skillet or oven proof pan. Drizzle with a generous glug of olive oil, add the thyme and a small pinch of salt (this helps draw some of the water out of the onions and helps to avoid them scorching in the hot oven). Give the onions a good mix so they are fully coated in olive oil and salt and allow them to sit for 5 to 10 mins to allow the salt to do its thing.
2. Pre-heat your oven to around 200 degrees and place a few smaller pieces of wood inside to help generate some extra smoke. Place the skillet of onions into the oven to cook. Give them a good shake around every few minutes so they cook evenly – adding a splash of water if they begin to catch on the bottom of the pan. If you think the onions are cooking too quickly, allow your oven to cool slightly, remove a few pieces of wood or bring the onions right to the open mouth of the oven to cook. Do not rush this stage as you need the onions to be sweet and caramelised to help balance the saltiness of both the anchovies and the olives.
3. Halfway through cooking the onions, finely slice the garlic and add to the pan.
4. When you’re happy with your onions remove them and allow to cool, then heat the oven to 300-320 degrees.
5. Take a ball of dough out of your fridge and place onto a plate of fine semolina and very lightly dust the top, ensure your peel is clean and dry, dust this with a light coating of semolina and stretch your dough out onto it in whichever shape you want.
6. Spread a nice fine layer of your smokey onions onto the dough. Lay the anchovies decoratively across the top in a criss-cross pattern and place a whole pitted olive in each space between the anchovies. Cook until puffed, crisp on the bottom and slightly blistered. Carve and serve warm with something cold and fizzy!

This dish was roasted in the Alfa Forni 5 Minuti. For more information and prices, click here.