No time for quiche? Make a galette. An open face, rustic pie that you can make with almost anything that’s been sitting in your fridge. Use fruit like berries, apples or plums and make a quick, sweet pie that served with a dollop of cream is the most delicious dessert. Or use up veggies like courgettes, eggplants, asparagus and in this case mushrooms.

The great thing about a galette is that it’s free form and less time consuming than a pie or quiche. You can make the crust in 10 minutes in a food processor, roll it on a piece of greaseproof paper and you are more than half way done. One thing things you should have in mind is that your filling should not be wet otherwise your crust will not bake properly.

This recipe is really delicious. I added walnuts in the crust to make it nuttier and Parmesan cheese to make it crunchier and of course yummier! The kale in the filling works really well with the mushrooms but what I love the most is the amazing flavor of the melted Stilton. Serve a slice of this gorgeous, rich, delicious galette, with a leafy rocket salad dressed with balsamic vinegar.

For the Crust

• 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup whole meal flour
• 1/3-cup walnuts
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ tsp salt
• 190 grams unsalted butter
• 3 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 Tbs iced water

For the filling

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used Portobello but you can use any variety)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 cups kale, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 250 grams ricotta, drained
• Pinch of nutmeg
• ¼ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup Stilton or other blue cheese, crumbled

• 1 egg, lightly beaten for brushing the galette (optional)

For serving

• 2 cups rocket leaves
• ½ Tbs olive oil
• ½ Tbs balsamic vinegar

Method

Make the crust: Cut the butter in 2 cm cubes and put in the freezer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In the bowl of a food processor, put the flours, walnuts, Parmesan and salt. Pulse until everything is combined and walnuts are chopped finely.

Add the chilled butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand with some bigger pea size bits and pieces. Use a fork to stir it a bit. It’s easier to see the consistency.

Add the vinegar and iced water and pulse again until mixture holds together when pinched with your fingers. Don’t pulse until a dough forms. Pinch it. If it holds then the dough mixture is done.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on your working area. Tip the dough mixture in the centre of the plastic wrap. Use your hands to gather the mixture together until you form a disk. Don’t overwork the dough. Wrap disk with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Make the filling: In a large skillet, put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until cooked and nicely coloured. Remove mushrooms in a bowl.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet and add the onion and garlic. Cook stirring until onion is soft and begins to colour. Add the kale and cook stirring for a few minutes until kale is wilted. Remove kale and onion mixture from the skillet and mix with the mushrooms. Add the thyme and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble the galette: Preheat oven to 200 C. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll on a piece of greaseproof paper to roughly a 35 cm round. Don’t worry if the edges crack as you roll. It’s part of the beauty of this rustic galette. If dough sticks on your rolling pin, sprinkle lightly with some flour. If dough is too cold and you have trouble rolling it, feel free to bang it with your rolling pin until it softens a little. It’s a stress releasing method.

Season the ricotta with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Spread cheese all over the surface of the dough leaving a 5 cm border. Spread the mushroom mixture on top. Dot with the stilton.

Fold the edges of the galette to enclose the filling. Brush with egg for a nice colour and sheen. Skip the egg if you are on an egg free diet. It will have no effect on the taste.

Transfer the galette with the greaseproof paper on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes. Cover filling loosely with a round piece of double foil to prevent overbrowning. Take care not to cover the edges of the crust, only the filling.

Bake for 20-25 minutes longer until crust is golden and cooked through.

Leave galette to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. It’s also great at room temperature.

To serve: Transfer galette on a serving platter. Mix the rocket leaves with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Scatter some leaves on top of the galette to make it look prettier. Cut in wedges and serve with extra rocket salad on top of each wedge. Hear the applause.

 

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Mushroom Galette with Kale, Stilton and Nutty, Parmesan Crust

For the Crust

• 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup whole meal flour
• 1/3-cup walnuts
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ tsp salt
• 190 grams unsalted butter
• 3 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 Tbs iced water

For the filling

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used Portobello but you can use any variety)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 cups kale, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 250 grams ricotta, drained
• Pinch of nutmeg
• ¼ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup Stilton or other blue cheese, crumbled

• 1 egg, lightly beaten for brushing the galette (optional)

For serving

• 2 cups rocket leaves
• ½ Tbs olive oil
• ½ Tbs balsamic vinegar

Method

Make the crust: Cut the butter in 2 cm cubes and put in the freezer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In the bowl of a food processor, put the flours, walnuts, Parmesan and salt. Pulse until everything is combined and walnuts are chopped finely.

Add the chilled butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand. Use a fork to stir it a bit. It’s easier to see the consistency.

Add the vinegar and iced water and pulse again until mixture holds together when pinched with your fingers. Don’t pulse until a dough forms. Pinch it. If it holds then the dough mixture is done.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on your working area. Tip the dough mixture in the centre of the plastic wrap. Use your hands to gather the mixture together until you form a disk. Don’t overwork the dough. Wrap disk with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Make the filling: In a large skillet, put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until cooked and nicely coloured. Remove mushrooms in a bowl.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet and add the onion and garlic. Cook stirring until onion is soft and begins to colour. Add the kale and cook stirring for a few minutes until kale is wilted. Remove kale and onion mixture from the skillet and mix with the mushrooms. Add the thyme and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble the galette: Preheat oven to 200 C. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll on a piece of greaseproof paper to roughly a 35 cm round. Don’t worry if the edges crack as you roll. It’s part of the beauty of this rustic galette. If dough sticks on your rolling pin, sprinkle lightly with some flour. If dough is too cold and you have trouble rolling it, feel free to bang it with your rolling pin until it softens a little. It’s a stress releasing method.

Season the ricotta with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Spread cheese all over the surface of the dough leaving a 5 cm border. Spread the mushroom mixture on top. Dot with the stilton.

Fold the edges of the galette to enclose the filling. Brush with egg for a nice colour and sheen. Skip the egg if you are on an egg free diet. It will have no effect on the taste.

Transfer the galette with the greaseproof paper on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes. Cover filling loosely with a round piece of double foil to prevent overbrowning. Take care not to cover the edges of the crust, only the filling.

Bake for 20-25 minutes longer until crust is golden and cooked through.

Leave galette to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. It’s also great at room temperature.

To serve: Transfer galette on a serving platter. Mix the rocket leaves with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Scatter some leaves on top of the galette to make it look prettier. Cut in wedges and serve with extra rocket salad on top of each wedge. Hear the applause.