This classic Ligurian recipe proudly features Liguria's small black Taggiasca olives, along with onions, sea salt, and local anchovies or sardines. Along the coast, you'll find it in different guises—sold cold, warm, or hot from the oven. Sweet onions, salty anchovies, and divine black olives—what’s not to like?
In Nice and along the French coast, it is Pissaladiere or the Pizza of Nice. Just across the border into Liguria, legend has it that ‘Pizza d'Andrea’ was the favourite of our local hero, Admiral Andrea Doria Genovese (1466–1560), meaning Ligurians were savouring this speciality before another local hero, Christopher Columbus, had reached the Americas!
A few tips from Nudo chef Jake:
"Pizza d'Andrea is all about the onions, set against the salty sharpness of the olives & anchovies; their sweetness is delicious. Make sure you prepare lots of onions, as they decrease in volume hugely as they simmer away and slowly caramelize; they just get sweeter & sweeter the longer you cook them.
Don’t be shy with the oil either; use loads, as it helps to prevent them from burning and going bitter, and you can always drain off excess oil when they're done and use it for something else.
One last thing, it's nice to lay the anchovy fillets in a lattice that is quite close together so that the pattern is clear. You may want to cut the anchovy fillets in half lengthwise if you’re not too keen on a lot of anchovies."
Prep Time 30 Minutes
Serves 4
Cook Time 30 Minutes
Difficulty Easy
Ingredients
- Your selected dough, enough for 4 generous-sized servings (Find a recipe here if needed)
- 1.2 kg / 2.2 lbs of onions, peeled and sliced
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 100 ml / 3.5 fl oz of Nudo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
- Caster sugar
- 15 salted anchovy fillets, well-rinsed
- 15 black olives
Method
- In a shallow pan, combine the onion and garlic with the olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, and sugar, adding about 100ml of water.
- Cover the pan and cook the onions for approximately 10 minutes, ensuring they become soft and creamy without colouring.
- Remove the lid, increase the heat, and stir the onions for about 15 minutes until they achieve a dark and caramelized colour, and most of the liquid evaporates.
- Roll out your dough – either use 20 cm round tins or a large pizza tray.
- Spread the onion mixture evenly over your dough and decorate with the anchovies and black olives in the traditional lattice design used along the Mediterranean coast in both Italy and France.
- Bake the Pissaladiere for 20 minutes or until the base is crispy and the topping is golden brown.