Beet Green, Onion, and Feta Galette
I’ve you’ve been following me a while - especially on my Instagram - you know that I love galettes. So much so, that I even waxed poetic about them once for the Washington Post. Make your dough, roll it out, and fill it with whatever inspires you (or happens to be wilting away in the crisper drawer…).
For today’s post, I used my go-to recipe (featured in the article). It’s got a bit of cornmeal for texture and sweetness and sour cream to introduce a bit of tenderness. For the cornmeal, you can substitute whole wheat, spelt, or rye flour; for the sour cream, you can use buttermilk, or yogurt even. It makes two rounds of dough, which means that I can stash the second away in the fridge (for up to a week) or the freezer (for up to 2-3 months!) for another day.
As for the filling, I had some sad-looking beet greens that needing using, but you can use whatever hardy green you have. I sautéed up some onions, added the greens, and stirred in feta, dill, and parsley in the end. A thin smear of sour cream before I layered the filling over the dough gives it a bit of tang and flavor, but you can go without or, if you have it on hand, use ricotta instead.
For more inspiration and ideas how to fill your own galette, here are links to a few others I’ve written:
If you happen to have WaPo Senior Food Editor Joe Yonan’s new book Cool Beans, he features this dough recipe (slightly adapted) and fills it with all ingredients you might already have on hand - sauteed kale, onions, potato slices, and red kindey beans. Yum!
If you give galette a go this weekend, please tag me in your creations! It makes my day when I see that someone made one of my recipes. It means that I’m actually inspiring others, which is the whole point of this series.
Beet Green, Onion, and Feta Galette
makes one 12-inch galette
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
kosher salt
a generous splash of dry red or white wine (optional)
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 bunch beet greens or small bunch swiss chard, spinach, or collard greens, leaves and stems chopped
¼ to ½ cup fresh dill leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about ¼ cup)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ (1 disc) of my endlessly adaptable galette dough, rolled out into a 13- to 14- inch round
¼ cup sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 tbsp heavy cream, milk, or water
Flaky sea salt (for sprinkling)
Heat a large pan over medium heat before adding the oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until onions turn golden brown and their edges begin to blacken, anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. Pour in wine, if using, and deglaze the pan, scraping off any browned bits from bottom of the pan. Add garlic and beet greens and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until leaves have wilted and stems have softened. Remove from heat. Stir in herbs and feta and season to taste with salt and pepper. If it needs a bit of acid, add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar. Allow to cool completely (very important here) before proceeding.
During this time you can roll out your galette dough and keep it chilled in the fridge on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet.
Spread a thin layer of sour cream evenly over the chilled dough, leaving a 1 ½ to 2 in border. Top with the cooled beet green mixture. Fold the edges over the filling, pleating at points to make a circle. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes to set and chill the dough.
While galette is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare your egg wash.
When ready to bake, brush the edges of the galette with the egg wash and sprinkle all over with flaky sea salt, if using, and a few cracks of black pepper. Bake until golden brown and crisp all over (I like to use a spatula to lift the galette to make sure the bottom has browned), about 45 to 55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.