Sausage, Tomato and Olive Pissaladière

Olive Oil Pastry

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup lukewarm water

Sausage Topping

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large red onions, very thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs for garnish
• ½-1 tsp finely chopped red chilli, to taste
• salt and ground black pepper
• 3 raw pork and fennel sausages
• 300g (10 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 12-16 black olives, pitted and halved

To make Olive Oil Pastry, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix oil and water together and tip into flour. Mix with a knife until dough comes together; it should be soft and supple. Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.

To prepare Sausage Topping, heat oil in a frypan and add onions, garlic, thyme and chilli. Season with salt and pepper and cook over a low heat until all liquid has evaporated (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool. (It will keep in the fridge for at least a week.)

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Cut baking paper to the same size as a baking tray measuring about 33cm x 38cm (13 x 15 inches). Place tray in the oven to preheat (this will ensure a crisp base). Place baking paper on a clean bench and roll out Olive Oil Pastry on top until it is the same size as the baking paper. Fold in edges of dough by 1cm (1/2 inch) to form a raised border.

Spread cooled onion mixture over pastry. Remove skins from sausages and discard. Tear sausages into small nuggets and arrange over tart. Top with cherry tomatoes (squeeze out the juices first so the pastry doesn’t go soggy) and olives. Garnish with sprigs of thyme. Slip baking paper and pissaladière onto the preheated baking tray and bake until crisp and golden (about 30 minutes). Serve warm or cold.