Savory Galette

Visual appeal and color contrasts make food appetizing. I am one of those people who eats with my eyes as much as with my mouth. I like colorful food and especially when the outdoors is full of color I like the food to match too.

This was the idea behind this colorful galette. A couple months back I posted a Tomato and goat cheese galette. It was delicious but I wanted to try one with vegetables. And so I carefully picked the vegetables to create a colorful palatte. By the time I was done everyone was waiting for dinner. I barely had time to click pictures before it was all gone.

This month is all about baked recipes and this week I will post main course recipes. Those that can be served as a meal.

You will need
For the pastry shell
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter
~ 1/4 - 1/2 cup cold water
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Black pepper to taste

For the filling
2 large carrots
2 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 oz. goat cheese
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp fresh thyme
5-6 leaves basil
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Follow the recipe for the pastry in the tomato and goat cheese galette.. Keep the rolled out pastry shell refrigerated. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables. Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut the zucchini and carrot in circles. Chop the red and yellow bell peppers. Spread all the vegetables on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are browned but not fully cooked.

Let the vegetables cool. Change the temperature on the oven to 425 F. Then take the pastry shell out of the refrigerator. Place half the feta cheese in a layer on the shell. Place the vegetables in whatever order you like. I started with the zucchini.

Then the carrots.

Finally the bell peppers. Sprinkle the remaining feta over the top along with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the galette is fully cooked and starting to brown. The vegetables should be cooked as well. Cool on a rack for a few minutes before digging in.

Slice like a pie to serve.

Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini and Goat Cheese Galette

Everyone at home had the day off yesterday, President's day. My teenage daughter spent a good deal of the long weekend with friends. Yesterday she was going out with a friend for lunch and then to work on a project. I decided to entice her with a dish that she would simply not be able to resist.

Galette is a rustic French pie. It is baked on a sheet instead of a pie dish and the edges are folded in instead of being intricately shaped. I have always wanted to try the galette. Goat cheese seems to be the recommended cheese in most recipes so I knew I was going to use that. A few months ago I found vegetarian goat cheese at Whole Foods that I love. For vegetables I knew I wanted to use heirloom tomatoes but they are available only in Spring and summer. So when I found the first of these heirloom tomatoes in the market yesterday I decided I was going to bake a galette. I got some organic zucchini at Whole Foods along with some fresh basil.

I made the pastry crust at home using mostly whole wheat flour. I used cold butter and water to get the crust flaky. For added flavor I grated some parmesan cheese into the dough for the crust. I drained the sliced zucchini and tomatoes for half an hour so the galette would not get soggy. I mixed in fresh thyme with the goat cheese and added lots of black pepper to everything. The galette came out of the oven 15 minutes before my daughter was to leave. As expected she asked for a small slice and one bite later asked if she could have a bigger slice.

You will need
For the pastry shell
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter
~ 1/4 - 1/2 cup cold water
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Black pepper to taste

For the filling
2 large heirloom tomatoes
2 zucchini
3 oz. goat cheese
1 tbsp fresh thyme
5-6 leaves basil
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

In a mixing bowl and using a pastry cutter mix the cold butter with the flour until the flour is grainy in texture. Sprinkle the salt. Now working in small sections moisten the flour using a tablespoon of cold water. Move to the next section to moisten it. Repeat until the flour is moistened and can be worked in a dough. Do not add too much water. The amount of water will depend upon the amount of whole wheat flour used. Add the parmesan cheese and black pepper. Roll up the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove the cold dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to the desired size. Place a parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the rolled dough over the top. Cover with the plastic wrap and place the sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Slice the tomatoes and zucchini separately. Sprinkle a little slat and allow it to drain. Meanwhile in a bowl mix the thyme with the goat cheese. Add a little black pepper and mix with a fork until crumbly. Keep aside until needed.

Remove the sheet from the freezer. Spread half the goat cheese over the top. Arrange a layer of sliced zucchini over the goat cheese. Add a layer of sliced tomatoes. Repeat the three layers. I used lots of vegetables so I got two layers. If you use fewer slices of vegetables you can arrange a single layer of tomatoes, zucchini and cheese.

Fold in the sides over the vegetables. Grate some Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust looks brown and flaky, the vegetables are cooked and beginning to brown. Make a chiffonade of basil. You do this by placing the leaves one over the other, rolling it up and then slicing as finely as you can. Separate the strands and sprinkle over the baked pie.

Let it cool for a 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

Yemeni Boreck or Borek

Boreck or Borek literally means layers and is a recipe of Turkish origins that spread to other regions during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. This version is from Yemen and I found it here in my attempt to find a one dish meal. I used paneer to make this dish vegetarian.

I made 10 layers of dough rolled thin enough to read through. Five layers are above the filling and five are below it. The surprise ingredient is cinnamon powder. I added it with a huge dose of skepticism but I was pleasantly surprised. The pastry was flaky and crispy. The filling was delicious. Everyone loved it and we all agreed this was a keeper, something I would make again.

I used a spring-foam pan to bake the borek to make it easy on myself to take the pie out. My spring-foam pans are over 15 years old of a quality you don't see anywhere anymore. The pie was perfectly baked.

You will need
For the filling
7 oz. paneer
1 small onion, minced
1 tsp. coriander cumin powder
1 tsp. paprika
salt to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil

Other filling ingredients
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
4-5 springs cilantro, minced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp. nigella seeds
oil or butter as needed between layers

For the dough
3 cups whole wheat flour (I used chapati flour)
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. oil, divided
~ 1/2 cup water

Make the filling first. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions. Saute on medium heat until tender and slightly browned. Add the coriander cumin powder, paprika and mix well. Add crumbled paneer and salt to taste. Let it cook until paneer starts to brown a little. Keep aside to cool.

To make the dough sift the flour in mixing bowl. Add the sugar and salt. Beat the egg in a separate bowl and add it along with one tablespoon of oil to the flour. Combine to form a crumbly mixture. Add the water a little at a time to form a soft dough. You may not need all the water. The dough should not be sticky. Using the remaining oil knead the dough well until it soft and smooth. Cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime prepare a pan by applying butter or oil to the bottom and sides. Keep aside.

Divide the dough into 10 portions. Adjust the size of the dough portions according to the size of your pan. If your pan is wide you want bigger portions. I made small lime size portions for my 7" pan. Take one portion on a floured work surface and roll it out as far as you can go. It should be as thin as possible. Place it on the bottom of the pan. Brush a liitle oil around the layer. Sprinkle some nigella seeds over the top.

Repeat the process of rolling with 4 more layers and place them on top of the first layer with a sprinkling of oil in between layers. You do not need nigella seeds in between each layers. Save the remaining seeds for the top. Now you are ready to add the filling. Sprinkle the cinnamon powder over the layer.

Next add the paneer filling and spread it evenly. As you can see I started adding the cilantro before I realized I should take a picture.

Next add the cilantro over the top.

Last of all add the feta cheese.

Continue working the remaining layers as before with a hint of oil in between. When the last layer is done sprinkle the remaining nigella seeds. You could add some melted butter over the last layer if you wish.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Let the borek rest on the kitchen counter until the oven heats up. Before placing the pan in the oven cut the borek into wedges. Do not score. Make sure you cut through all layers. This allows steam to escape and makes the layers flaky.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is brown.

Take it out of the pan and let it rest a couple minutes.

Borek is best eaten hot out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Fatayer Sabanek (Spinach Pastry)

Spinach stuffed pastry or Fatayer Sabanek can be eaten as a snack by itself or as a side in a meal. I have made Greek spinach pie spanakopita and we all loved it. When I found this recipe here I knew my family would love it.

The origins of fatayer is disputed as a lot of countries lay claim to it. It means pastry in Arabic and you will find it in a lot of the countries in the Middle East.

Fatayer is made using leavened dough. I had a little sourdough starter handy and decided to use it. Before commercial yeast became available all leavened dough was made using wild yeast starter. The resultant pastry was crunchy but soft on the inside.

When I made this as part of the meal I did not have the time to let the dough rise overnight so I used a scant half teaspoon of commercial instant yeast to help speed up the process on one batch of the dough. This batch I stuffed with spinach and flavored it with onion and a little salty cheese. The second batch of dough I left overnight in the refrigerator and made fatayer as a snack the next day. I did not add commercial yeast to this batch and I stuffed it with cheese and a sprinkle of cilantro.

You will need
For the dough
1/2 cup sourdough starter 78% hydration (increase flour by 1/2 cup if you want to skip this)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur whole white wheat)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup yogurt
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. instant dry yeast (if you skip the sourdough use 1 tsp. yeast)
1/2 tsp. sugar
Up to 1/2 cup warm water

For the spinach filling
1 bunch spinach
2 tbsp. onion
3 tbsp. cotija cheese, shredded
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

For the cheese filling
1/4 cup cotija cheese, shredded
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4-5 sprigs of cilantro, minced

Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl. Add the oil and yogurt and combine with the flour. If you are not using sourdough starter you will need a half cup of water. If you are using sourdough starter use half the water and if needed add more, a little at a time, until you have a soft dough. Knead well and keep aside covered until it doubles in volume. If using sourdough you can keep it overnight in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to develop.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare the cheese filling by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. Keep aside. Blanch the spinach and drain. Heat the blanched spinach in a pan until all the water evaporates. Cool. Combine with the other ingredients and keep aside until needed.

Transfer the risen dough to a working surface and cut into lime sized portions. Roll one portion to form a disc. Place the filling in the center.

Bring up two sides as shown in the picture below.

Pull up the bottom to form a triangle.

Pinch the seams to seal them. If the dough is dry use a little water to seal the seam shut. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Continue with the remaining portions. I made some with spinach filling and others with cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Broil for one minute.

Enjoy!

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

This is a recipe from Greece. It is a delicious, flaky spanakopita - a spinach pie in a phyllo pastry shell.

I have eaten spanakopita in Greek restaurants and always wanted to try it.

The prep time is long but the end results were awesome! This would be a great recipe to make with family. There are a lot of simple but distinct steps and multiple people would cut down on the prep time.

The recipe after I halved it is given below. I adjusted the proportion of onion to cater to the taste of my family.

You will need
1 box of baby spinach
1 box frozen whole wheat phylo dough sheets
1 red onion
2 shallots
7-8 scallion, white and some green
1 leak,, white and some green
a bunch dill
6 oz. feta cheese crumbles
1 egg
1 pod garlic
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste

To start defrost the frozen phyllo dough. Chop the baby spinach and put it in a large mixing bowl.

Chop red onion, shallots, scallion, leeks, garlic and the dill. Add it to the spinach.

Add the feta cheese crumble. Grate nutmeg and fresh ground black pepper over the mixture.

Now is the time to get your hands dirty. Mix and knead the mixture until the volume reduces to a fourth of the original. It is amazing how the mixture comes together.

Pick up a handful of the spinach mixture and squeeze out the juice.

Place the spinach in another bowl. Continue until all the spinach is in another bowl and the liquid remains. Add couscous to the liquid and let it sit for at least 5 minutes.

The couscous will expand and absorb the liquid.

Now put the spinach back into the bowl with the liquid. Season with salt, note that feta is salty. Add black pepper if needed. Add an egg and mix well.

The filling is ready.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a mixture of butter and oil. Grease the casserole dish. Cut the phyllo dough sheets to fit the dish and keep under a damp towel. Using butter and oil mixture coat a sheet of dough and place it in the dish. Using another 9 sheets cover the bottom and sides of the dish completely. Coat every alternate sheet with the butter and oil mixture. Let the sheets overhang from the sides. Spoon in the filling into the dish.

Spread the filling evenly in the dish.

Fold the dough hanging over the sides and smooth it out. Place another 6-9 sheets to cover the top coating every alternate sheet with the butter and oil mixture.

Cut the pie into squares. Ensure the knife goes through all the layers to the bottom of the dish.

Place in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. The top of the pie should be a golden brown.

Serve hot.

The pie tastes just as good the next day. Leftovers can be warmed in the microwave.