The Pissaladière: An onion, olive and anchovy tart

Don't even ask my dad to retain the name of this dish, let alone pronounce it. The deal with my family is, my mother is French and my father is American. Whereas my mom, sister and I are perfectly fluent in both languages, my dad lags a bit behind. He understands a lot (unless he puts his I-don't-comprehend-French blinders on) but his speech does not venture much past "bonjour" and "merci beaucoup." How this happened in a French-speaking household with some of the best teachers he could ask for, I'm not sure. But I do know my dad loves my mom's French cooking, as we all do.

The pissaladière is a tart originating from the south of France and Italy. You'll find that French cooking, as well as its cultures, traditions and dialects, are actually very permeable to influences from neighboring countries and immigrant populations. Now of course I don't mean high-end French gastronomy, practiced esoterically and defended fervently by a chef elite. I mean your family's home cooking. In the south you'll find distinctly Spanish and Italian flavors, with lots of red peppers, garlic and olives being used, but then as you travel north toward Germany and Belgium the food gets progressively more carb-heavy. And in between, quite a few native cooks have become familiar with preparing North African staples like couscous and tagines. Ultimately, I think French cooking is a lot more varied and diverse than is expected...

Now, to get back to the pissaladière. This is a quick and easy weekend dish that my mom often puts on the menu, and is seriously fool-proof. Sauté some onions, add garlic and earthy herbs (thyme, bay leaf) and maybe a touch of mustard and white wine, spread the browned mixture over store-bought pastry dough and top with anchovies and black olives (the flavorful kind, not the nacho topping kind). Don't be intimidated by recipes that call for making your own dough. Knock yourself out if you like, but don't be fooled into thinking every French home cook makes their own pie crust. It is far from being the case. Here is a recipe I thought was most helpful in its simplicity and directness. Serve with a vegetable side and a green salad, and you've got a French lunch that's impossible to pronounce!