Green Olive & Almond Tapenade

The saltiness of your olives will determine how many anchovies you use. For best results, make the recipe in the following amount, making additional batches if you want larger quantities. It will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

• 4 cups unpitted green, Mediterranean-style olives
• 4 to 6 whole salt-packed anchovies (or 10 to 12 oil-cured anchovy fillets)
• 1/4 lb. (about 1 cup) slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• 1 Tbs. capers, drained
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pit the olives with a knife; set aside. If using salt-packed anchovies, wash the ­anchovies in several changes of ­water. Separate the fillets by running a knife or your finger along the backbone; remove any large bones. Put the ­pitted olives, anchovies, almonds, garlic, capers, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor; process until a coarse paste forms.

It makes a tangy topping for savory tarts and pizza and is delicious tossed with pasta along with a little olive oil and some fresh goat cheese. Brennan also tucks this tapenade under the skin of a chicken breast as a flavor booster.

Pissaladière

This recipe comes from my friend Rosa Jackson, who teaches cooking in Nice, her hometown, and Paris, her former hometown. It's for what Rosa calls "a treasured Niçoise street food, sold in every boulangerie of Vieux Nice [the old city] and at several stands specializing in quick eats." The name pissaladière can make you think of pizza, but it derives from the anchovy paste, pissala, that is sometimes stirred into the onions to intensify their flavor. Indeed, anchovies are frequently part of a pissaladière's decoration—you often see them placed on top of the onions in a crosshatch pattern—as are black olives, preferably the small black, shiny olives native to the Niçoise area, strewn over the pissaladière. If you fall in love with the pissaladière but find yourself short on time, you can substitute puff pastry for the dough—it's not truly Niçoise, but it's often done, and often by chefs.

For the dough

• 1-1/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. table salt
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 packet active dry yeast (you can use rapid-rise)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

For the onion topping

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 6 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• About 12 good-quality anchovies packed in oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• About 12 Niçoise olives, pitted or not

To make the dough:

Whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.

Stir the yeast into the warm water and, when it's dissolved, whisk in the olive oil and egg (make sure the egg is not cold). Using your hand, a sturdy rubber spatula, or a wooden spoon, make a little well in the center of the flour, then pour in the yeast mixture and mix until you have a rough dough, a matter of minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until it is smooth. Rinse out the bowl, rub it lightly with oil, and turn the dough around in it until it glistens with oil. Cover the bowl, set it aside in a warm place, and let the dough rise for at least an hour, or until it has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, make the onions:

Pour the olive oil into a large skillet (nonstick is nice here) and warm it over low heat. Toss in the onions, thyme, and bay leaf, stirring to coat everything with oil, then cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, soft, and golden, about 45 minutes, maybe more—this isn't a job you should rush.

While the onions are cooking, chop 6 of the anchovies. When the onions are cooked, pull the pan from the heat, stir in the anchovies, which will dissolve into the onions, and season lightly with sea salt and generously with pepper. Set aside until needed.

Assemble and bake:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.

Press down on the dough to deflate it, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Line a large baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is about 10 x 14 inches. The exact size of the rectangle isn't really important—what you're going for is thinness. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and top it with the onion mixture, leaving a scant inch of dough around the edges bare.

Bake the pissaladière for about 20 minutes, or until the dough is golden. Pull the pan from the oven, decorate the top with the olives and remaining anchovies, and bake the pissaladière for 5 minutes more, just to warm the new additions. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Escarole Salad with Olives and Garlic Croutons

With its garlicky greens, crunchy croutons, and salty anchovies, this salad is reminiscent of a classic Caesar salad but without the creaminess.

• 2 large heads escarole (1 lb. each)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled  
• Kosher salt 
• 3 Tbs. plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 oz. country-style bread, preferably day-old, crusts removed, torn into rustic bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)  
• 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed
• 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar; more as needed  
• 1/2 cup black olives, such as Niçoise, rinsed well, pitted, and coarsely chopped

Remove the green outer leaves of the escarole and discard or reserve for another use. Trim off any dark-green tips and cut off the root end. Then cut or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces (you should have about 12 cups). 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Put the garlic in a mortar, add a pinch of salt, and pound to a paste with a pestle. Or mince and then mash to a paste with the side of a chef’s knife. In a small bowl, combine half of the garlic with 3 Tbs. of the olive oil.

Put the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the garlic oil to coat evenly. Spread the bread out, season lightly with salt, and bake until crisp and light golden-brown outside and tender inside, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool on the baking sheet.

Pound or mince the anchovies to a paste. In a small bowl, combine the anchovy paste with the remaining garlic paste and the vinegar. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and stir in the olives. Taste with a leaf of escarole and season the vinaigrette with more vinegar or salt if necessary. 

Put the escarole in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Gently toss the salad with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the greens. Taste and add more salt or vinaigrette if necessary. Add the croutons and toss again. Gently transfer the salad to a platter or individual serving plates, evenly distributing the croutons that may have fallen to the bottom of the bowl. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette on the salad and serve.

Basic Tapenade

Traditionally pounded in a mortar and pestle, tapenade is quick work in a food processor. A little bit goes a long way, and it keeps well.Basil PestoYields about 1 cup.Tapenade:

• 1 cup pitted kalamata or other good-quality black olives
• 2 to 3 anchovy fillets
• 2 minced small cloves garlic
• 2 Tbs. capers
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the ingredients in a food processor:  Pulse until the mixture becomes a rough purée. Season to taste with a squeeze of lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.

Basic Tapenade

Traditionally pounded in a mortar and pestle, tapenade is quick work in a food processor. A little bit goes a long way, and it keeps well.Basil PestoYields about 1 cup.Tapenade:

• 1 cup pitted kalamata or other good-quality black olives
• 2 to 3 anchovy fillets
• 2 minced small cloves garlic
• 2 Tbs. capers
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the ingredients in a food processor:  Pulse until the mixture becomes a rough purée. Season to taste with a squeeze of lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.

Browned Cauliflower with Anchovies, Olives & Capers

Anchovies and cauliflower are a sublime pairing. If you think six filets are too much, trust me: You’ll get a delicious suggestion of anchovy, not an overpowering punch. This is one of those dishes that improves greatly if allowed to sit for several hours before eating. Serve at room temperature or warm it gently on the stove or in the oven.

• 1 medium-small head cauliflower (about 2 lb.)
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled
• Pinch coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 6 oil-packed anchovy filets, drained
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 15 black olives (such as Kalamata or niçoise), pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more to taste
• 2 tsp. capers, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• Large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or 1/8 tsp. Aleppo pepper

Trim the leaves and stem from the cauliflower head. Working from the bottom of the head, cut off individual florets until you reach the crown, where the florets are small and fused together. Cut the large florets into quarters, the medium ones into halves, and the crown into four pieces, always trying to keep the top of the florets attached to pieces of stem.

In a mortar, crush the garlic and the salt with a pestle until you obtain a paste. Add the anchovies and pound them to a paste as well. (If you don’t have a mortar, you can mince the garlic, salt, and anchovies very finely and then mash them with the flat side of the knife until they become a paste.) Scrape this mixture into a large shallow bowl. Add 1 Tbs. of the oil, the olives, lemon juice, capers, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Stir well.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the olive oil in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half the cauliflower pieces in a single layer, flat side down. Cook the cauliflower until well browned on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes, and then transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining cauliflower, but don’t transfer it to the plate. Return the first batch of cauliflower to the pan, turn the heat down to low and carefully add 2/3 cup water. Cover and let steam until the stems are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked cauliflower to the bowl with the anchovy mixture. Add 1 Tbs. of the cooking liquid. Let sit 1 minute to warm and loosen the mixture, and then turn gently to coat the cauliflower and evenly distribute the olives and capers. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pissaladière

This recipe comes from my friend Rosa Jackson, who teaches cooking in Nice, her hometown, and Paris, her former hometown. It's for what Rosa calls "a treasured Niçoise street food, sold in every boulangerie of Vieux Nice [the old city] and at several stands specializing in quick eats." The name pissaladière can make you think of pizza, but it derives from the anchovy paste, pissala, that is sometimes stirred into the onions to intensify their flavor. Indeed, anchovies are frequently part of a pissaladière's decoration—you often see them placed on top of the onions in a crosshatch pattern—as are black olives, preferably the small black, shiny olives native to the Niçoise area, strewn over the pissaladière. If you fall in love with the pissaladière but find yourself short on time, you can substitute puff pastry for the dough—it's not truly Niçoise, but it's often done, and often by chefs.

For the dough

• 1-1/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. table salt
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 packet active dry yeast (you can use rapid-rise)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

For the onion topping

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 6 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• About 12 good-quality anchovies packed in oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• About 12 Niçoise olives, pitted or not

To make the dough:

Whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.

Stir the yeast into the warm water and, when it's dissolved, whisk in the olive oil and egg (make sure the egg is not cold). Using your hand, a sturdy rubber spatula, or a wooden spoon, make a little well in the center of the flour, then pour in the yeast mixture and mix until you have a rough dough, a matter of minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until it is smooth. Rinse out the bowl, rub it lightly with oil, and turn the dough around in it until it glistens with oil. Cover the bowl, set it aside in a warm place, and let the dough rise for at least an hour, or until it has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, make the onions:

Pour the olive oil into a large skillet (nonstick is nice here) and warm it over low heat. Toss in the onions, thyme, and bay leaf, stirring to coat everything with oil, then cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, soft, and golden, about 45 minutes, maybe more—this isn't a job you should rush.

While the onions are cooking, chop 6 of the anchovies. When the onions are cooked, pull the pan from the heat, stir in the anchovies, which will dissolve into the onions, and season lightly with sea salt and generously with pepper. Set aside until needed.

Assemble and bake:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F.

Press down on the dough to deflate it, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Line a large baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is about 10 x 14 inches. The exact size of the rectangle isn't really important—what you're going for is thinness. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and top it with the onion mixture, leaving a scant inch of dough around the edges bare.

Bake the pissaladière for about 20 minutes, or until the dough is golden. Pull the pan from the oven, decorate the top with the olives and remaining anchovies, and bake the pissaladière for 5 minutes more, just to warm the new additions. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.