Description
When the brutal winter days barge in, you’ve now got a delicious baking project to keep you busy in the kitchen. This Savory Winter Vegetable Galette with Feta Cheese has a tender, flaky crust topped with roasted seasonal vegetables and tangy feta cheese. Isn’t it beautiful?
Ingredients
- FOR THE CRUST:
- ¾ cups Unsalted Grass-fed Butter, Chilled
- 1-⅓ cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, Plus More For Dusting
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Cold Water, Or As Needed
- 1 whole Egg, Beaten, Or 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream For Brushing The Crust
- FOR THE FILLING:
- ½ whole Medium-size Butternut Squash, Peeled And Sliced Into Thin Discs
- 1 cup Curly Kale, Torn, Stems Removed
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Grass-fed Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ¼ whole Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 6 ounces, weight Havarti Cheese, Shredded
- ⅓ cups Crumbled Feta Cheese
- ¼ cups Fresh Basil, For Garnish
- 1 pinch Salt And Pepper, to taste
- 1 pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Preparation
For the crust, cube the butter into roughly ¼-inch size cubes and chill until very cold. In a bowl, stir flour and sea salt and add the cubed butter, tossing to coat. You can use a pastry cutter to cut the cubes into smaller pieces and work them into the flour or you can use your hands. I prefer to use my hands because I can get a better feel for when the butter is fully incorporated, but this does require some more manual labor. When the butter is incorporated into the flour (about pea-sized and the flour clumps together) drizzle 2 tablespoons ice cold water over the dough and gently work this in with your hands. If the dough is still dry, add the last tablespoon and work it in again until just combined. The dough should easily come together in one large mass.
Turn the pastry dough out onto a lightly floured clean surface. Pull the dough together into one lump and begin rolling it out with a rolling pin until its about ½-inch thick all the way around. Fold the dough over on itself and press down, pinching the edges in to create a somewhat clean rectangle. Repeat this process to create a square. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2–24 hours.
While the dough chills, prepare the vegetable filling. Preheat oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To prepare the butternut squash, slice the ends off and then cut the squash in half, leaving the rounder bottom portion for another occasion. Slice the top half down the middle, lengthwise, and then each half into 3 to 4 portions about 1 inch thick. Peel the skin off and thinly slice each semi circle disc into about 5 slices. Brush these with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread out on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes on each side (24 minutes total, flipping them over halfway through) and then broil for 3 more minutes, or until golden brown and just barely crispy around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
While the butternut squash cooks, prepare the kale. Peel the leaves off the stem (you’ll use about 2 stems here) and then tear them into pieces no larger than 1 to 2 inches.
Heat the butter and oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until lightly sizzling, then add the sliced red onion and turn the heat to low immediately. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and almost caramelized, about 5–6 minutes. Add minced garlic and kale and continue stirring as the kale wilts. Once kale is cooked through (dark green and wilted), turn off heat and transfer the vegetables to a plate to cool completely.
Set the chilled crust dough on the countertop for a few minutes to soften just a bit before you begin shaping. Meanwhile, lightly flour a clean work surface and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Use a rolling pin to whack (yes, whack) the dough to help soften it before rolling. You can also gently squeeze it with your hands. Begin rolling the dough into a rectangle, patching up any edges that begin to crack. You want the crust to be about a ¼-½ inch thick. Transfer the crust to the prepared baking sheet.
Sprinkle the grated havarti cheese over the dough, leaving only a small amount of blank space around the very edge. This is important when the crust is folded over—by sprinkling the cheese closer to the edge (but not all the way), it ensures that some cheese will remain stuffed into the crust. Very tasty.
Alternating between the squash and the kale, layer the vegetables over the cheese in two columns, slightly overlapping each layer. Fold the crust over so that the edge of the crust touches the outer edge of each column of vegetables. Make sure some of the cheese stays inside the crust! Sprinkle the feta over the vegetables. Beat the egg and brush this over the crust to create a golden crisp.
Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 28–30 minutes, or until crust turns a deep golden color and feels firm to the touch. Remove from oven and cool completely on the baking sheet before cutting.
Sprinkle the fresh chopped basil and salt and pepper over the top, and slice into 12 squares to serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
