Pissaladière: "A la di Stadio"

This wasn't your fault, Josée.

If I could only follow a recipe properly this would have been fine, delicious even, but you asked for 2 lbs of onions and I only had 1 and a pound of leeks. And apparently leeks take a whole lot longer to soften than I thought, even when they look ready for the next step. I didn't even try one to make sure. Ultimate mistake. Honestly, I had to do was not under-cook them and this is the easiest recipe in the world. My canned (home-canned, so they taste like summer, not factory) couldn't even save this pissaladière.

So for anyone else who aspires to di Stasio greatness, here's how to make this dish properly:

1 tbsp olive oil heated over medium heat
2 pounds onions (you can use leeks but they MUST be softened to an onion-like consistency), cut in slivers
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Some thyme
1 glove of garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Add the leeks to the hot oil and cook about 5 minutes, then add the rest of the onions since I think they'll cook faster. Cook, and cook, and cook, and then when you think they're done, TASTE them, for the love of God taste them. If you have to chew and crunch they're not done. 20 minutes minimum. Just suck it up and wait. If the leeks and onions start to burn turn down the heat or add a tiny, tiny bit of water. You don't want to steam the onions and leeks, but better slightly steamed than slightly burned. You can also use 2 tbsp at the beginning instead of one if you must, OR do this in 2 batches because I think another potential downfall of my own was that the pan was not big enough. I'm thinking ENORMOUS frying pan next time.

Finally, when you can't wait any longer and the leeks are edible add the 4 seeded, peeled and chopped tomatoes, some fresh thyme or some dried (a small sprinkle, a big sprinkle, as you wish), some minced garlic (about 1 clove), and salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes more. There shouldn't be a lot of liquid from the tomatoes, but you also don't need to drain them or anything. The juice will help deglaze the leeks and onions.

Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.

Now pour the whole thing on top of pizza dough or a flatbread dough (pita bread works too. I had a roti that I stretched out to pizza-like thinness. At least that worked...well...). Don't forget to oil the dish before you put the pizza dough/bread dough in or you'll never get to eat that dough. Mine got stuck and I scraped and I scraped and it never got eaten. Such a waste.

Into the oven for 25 minutes, or until you figure it's done and the sides of the dough haven't burned. You can also brush the top of the leek/onion mixture with olive oil so it browns a little, but that only helps if you didn't mess up the onion frying. Such a novice mistake. Optionally top with anchovies, olives or red pepper strips (preferably roasted, though the 25 minutes will go a long way toward roasting them) before popping in the oven. The salt from the olives collapses into the leeks, so at least it's properly seasoned.

I'm such a bad Quebecer. Messing up pissaladière...