Olive Anchovy And Onion Pie Recipes

CALZONE DI CIPOLLA ALLA PUGLIESE (PUGLIAN ONION PIE)

Steps:

• Sauté the onions (see Notes for the best onions to use) in a generous amount of olive oil over gentle heat, seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper and taking care not to let them brown too much. (At this stage of cooking, it helps to cover the sauté pan. This speeds the reduction process and discourages burning. Add a spoonful or two of water if needed.) When the onions are translucent and well reduced in volume, add the chopped plum tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes have totally melted into the onions and any liquid has evaporated. (Once the liquid has evaporated, you will hear the onions begin to 'sizzle'.) Turn off the heat and let the onion mixture cool completely.
• Spread the sautéed onion mixture in a 23 cm/9-inch pie or quiche pan lined with a crust of your choice (see Notes for details on different crusts to use). Arrange some black olives and anchovy fillets, roughly chopped if you like, evenly on top of the onions. You should use enough so that every bite will have a bit of olive and a bit of anchovy. Cover the pie with another round of crust, pinch the bottom and top crusts together and then either trim off the edges (as in the photo above) or fold the extra bit of crust inwards to make a nice border. Make slits in the top crust to allow air to escape. (If you prefer, you can also simply prick some holes in the crust.)
• Bake the calzone in a moderately hot oven (180° C, 375° F) for about 30-45 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and the pie is giving off a wonderfully savory aroma. Allow the pie to cool before serving. You can eat it warm (not hot) but, to my taste, the pie is much better at room temperature-and it tastes even better the day after you make it.

ONION AND OLIVE PIE

Steps:

• To make the crust, use fingertips to quickly work the flour into the butter until the mixture has the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Add the salt. Beat the egg yolk into the ice water. Form a well in the flour and butter mixture, pour in the liquid and, using the heel of the hand, work the liquid into the flour mixture until the dough can be shaped into a ball. Wrap in plastic. Chill for 1 hour.
• Make the filling by melting the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions are light brown, about 15 minutes. Adjust the flame to avoid burning. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and place in a large pie or tart pan. Press the dough into the pan and crimp the edges.
• Arrange the anchovies in a starburst pattern from the center of the pie. Sprinkle on half of the black olives. Layer in half of the onions, then the remaining black olives and then top with the remaining onions. Bake the tart until the crust is golden and the onions are caramelized and brown, 40 to 50 minutes.