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Ricotta and Vegetable Galette

(recipe, Katie Hickey)

Introduction

I found this base recipe on Smitten Kitchen and have adapted it since. The big star is the pastry dough. The filling can be pretty much anything that tastes good together.

Ingredients

  1. For the pastry:
  2. 1¼ cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour
  3. ¼ tsp. table salt
  4. 8 Tbsp. (4 ounces or 113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
  5. ¼ cup (60 grams) plain yogurt or sour cream
  6. 2 tsp. (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
  7. ¼ cup (60 ml) ice water (the first time I made this, I accidentally added ½ cup of ice water and thought it was ruined. I just mixed in extra flour and it turned out delicious anyway although a bit sticky to roll out)
  8. Filling:
  9. This can pretty much be anything. Here's what I used the first time:
  10. ½ cup ricotta cheese
  11. about ¼-½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  12. about ¼-½ cup shredded hatch chili pepper cheddar cheese
  13. salt and pepper
  14. 1 tsp. olive oil
  15. olive oil to saute
  16. ¼ tsp. coarse Kosher or sea salt
  17. about 1.5 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (or halved/quartered plum tomatoes)
  18. 1 ear corn, cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
  19. 1 small (8 ounces or 225 grams) zucchini or summer squash, diced
  20. 3 scallions, thinly slice
  21. Glaze:
  22. 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water

Steps

  1. 1. Make dough: Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
  2. 2. Make filling: In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, cheddar, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. 3. Get down the saute pan with the lid. If you don’t have one, any large lid will do. Add olive oil, tomatoes, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if that’s your thing) to your saute pan then cover and heat over high heat. Roll the tomatoes around from time to time so that they’ll cook evenly. In a few minutes, you’ll hear some putts and pops as the tomatoes burst a little. When most have, remove lid, turn heat down to medium and add zucchini chunks. Saute for two minutes, until they soften. Add corn and scallions and cook 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Adjust seasonings if needed. Transfer mixture to a large plate and spread it out, so that it will cool faster. You want it cooled to at least lukewarm before assembling the galette.
  4. 4. Assemble galette: Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round and it really doesn’t need to be perfectly shaped. Transfer to a baking sheet; (alternatively, roll on a floured surface and then transfer to a parchment lined sheet by folding the dough gently, without creasing, in quarters then unfold it onto the baking pan. Spread ricotta mixture in the center. Spoon the tomato-zucchini-corn mixture mixture on top of the ricotta, leaving a 2-inch border. If any liquid has puddle in plate, try to leave it there as you spoon. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Sprinkle with leftover parmesean or cheddar. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.
  5. 5. Bake the galette: For 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.