Caramelized Onion Tart With Olives

I’ve been making this recipe for more than a decade now (and I’ve shared it with you before). I can’t remember a time when it hasn’t disappeared from the table in minutes! What appeals to me most, as the cook, is the fact that when I have pizza dough on hand, I can put it together in minutes. The only thing I need to spend some time on is getting the onions cut and caramelized until they are deeply golden and sweet. That rich, golden sweetness of the onions makes a winning combination with the seductive saltiness of the olives on top of the pizza-like crust that turns golden and crunchy and crispy, especially around the edges.

Tips and tricks

You can use storebought pizza dough for this recipe to make it faster. But if you’re feeling like a domestic god/goddess, make your own–I’ve included a recipe and it’s a really, really good one. The recipe makes two crusts, so you can bake one now and freeze the other for later. The crust recipe I made this time is made entirely with all purpose flour. But if you want to make it healthier, use a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour in a 50:50 proportion. I make it that way sometimes and it’s a slightly chewier crust but still crispy and tasty as anything. The onions are the star of this recipe. Caramelize them – which means you should saute them in oil with a generous pinch of salt until they turn a rich, golden brown–thorougly before placing them on the crust. If the onions begin to stick too much (because we aren’t going to use a gallon of oil), add a little water to the pan. Do this only after they have turned quite brown and let the water sizzle and evaporate completely before you use the onions. Kalamata olives are great alongside the sweet onions. You can throw them on the tart whole or slice them coarsely, as I did. Bake the tart in a really hot oven–500 degrees Fahrenheit–for the best, crispiest results.