ONION AND ANCHOVY TART (PISSALADIERE)

To make the topping, peel, halve and cut the onions into 1cm slices; put the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the onions, bay leaf and thyme, stir well and cook for 5 minutes; cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, remove the lid, increase the heat and cook the onions for a further 8 minutes, until they are meltingly soft and pale golden; season well, remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf

Drain the anchovy fillets, reserving 1 tablespoon of the oil, cut the anchovies in half lengthways and leave them to one side

Drain the olives and toss them in the reserved anchovy oil; season the tomato pure with salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the dough, put all the dry ingredients into a food processor and mix at high speed for 10 seconds and with the motor still running, add the tepid milk and continue to blend for approximately 45 seconds, until the mixture forms a soft dough

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas6; gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 1-2 minutes until smooth; roll it out until it is a little larger than the baking sheet then trim the edges and lift it on to the baking sheet; prick the dough all over with a fork

Spread the tomato puree on the dough to within 1cm of the edges; spoon the cooked onions and thyme on top and spread to the edges, too; then arrange the anchovies in rows to form large diamonds and put an olive in the centre of each diamond; bake for 18-20 minutes until the dough is crisp and golden; serve piping hot with a salad