I hereby vow to make no more impulse buys from the “flash sales” section of my online groceries order. I really do love these fresh, herby anchovies
but even though I used loads in the David Niven Jansson’s Temptation recipe, the rest of the pack has been hanging around my fridge for a dangerously long time. In lockdown, this kind of thing plays on my mind. I am sure I am not the only one endlessly pondering what to do with things I have simply GOT to use up, rather than chuck in the bin.
Here are Elizabeth David’s thoughts on this kind of thing, “As I see it, any dish made from left-overs ought to be cheap, easy to prepare, and should not involve the opening of a lot of tins and bottles and jars just so you can use two sardines or three cherries, or a tablespoon of tunny fish. In their turn, these things become left-overs. You are obliged to use them, whether you want to or not, and the whole operation has become a false economy.”
A “tablespoon of tunny fish” – haha! However, one good thing about being left with my own thoughts for hours and hours and hours during lockdown is that I’m having a lot of food lightbulb moments. Hence pissaladière. This was a two-in-one fridge buster as I had some black olives knocking around that were annoying me too…
Although I have called this blog post “Grace Kelly’s Pissaladière” it should really be “Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco’s Pissadalière”
As my penpal Annette of I’m Annette put it, “How regal!”
Grace’s recipe for the dough is very vague and as I have no idea what a PROPER pissadalière base would be like I am not sure mine was quite what Grace had in mind. But the topping was good! I made half the recipe, using one and a half red onions, 10 cherry tomatoes chopped into quarters and some pasta sauce that had been languishing in the fridge which is another score!
But you know what? I couldn’t eat much of it as I had also made some beetroot soup. So I decided not to waste the delicious topping and scraped it off into a tupperware. So I have done EXACTLY what the esteemed Elizabeth David warned me against. I created even more leftovers from what was more or less “one tablespoon of tunny fish.”
No matter. I had it on a baked potato next night and it was delicious! Thanks your majesty!
I feel honored to have been quoted in “Silver Screen Suppers”! Thank you! :o)
Haha! It made me laugh so much on Instagram!
I have always used Julia Child’s recipe but I omit the anchovies. She uses puff pastry and you can easily buy the frozen kind. She also adds a little sugar to the onions to help them caramelize, which is a wonderful counterpoint to the olives. Using puff pastry and cherry tomatoes Along with the onions, produces a light and flaky starter dish if you add a little green salad in the side.
Dagmar! Stop! This is making me sooooooooo hungry. Oh yum. I want some of Julia’s pissaladiere right now- (it is 7.30am though!