We could all use more sunshine and rainbows in our lives right now. Viewing news about anti-Asian hate crimes has been horrifying and heart-wrenching. And reading and listening to stories and stances from the Asian American community has been eye-opening and emotionally draining. It’s a lot to process, to say the least.
When I need to disconnect and decompress, I’ve been:
- Watching episodes of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (The pizza! The pasta! The show will have you drooling.)
- Looking for local small businesses to support, like donut savant and Wooly Pig (just two establishments on my long and growing “Places to Eat” list)
- Whipping up dishes that utilize ingredients on hand, including this Meyer lemon galette with carrots, chard and butternut squash mash
If you want to add a bit of brightness to your day, give the recipe a go. The savory pastry features a flaky, cornmeal-flecked crust topped with a rainbow of fresh veggies. Enjoy a slice of Meyer lemon galette with carrots, chard and butternut squash mash and let your worries (momentarily) melt away.
Recipe adapted from Food52.
Meyer Lemon Galette with Carrots, Chard and Butternut Squash Mash
Makes 1 12" round galette
Ingredients
Crust:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup spelt flour
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 4-6 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
- 1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 rainbow carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 pound rainbow chard, stalks diced and leaves roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 small Meyer lemon wheels
Finish:
- 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
Prepare the crust:
- In a large bowl, combine the flours, cornmeal, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons water and mix with a fork. Continue to add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the ingredients start to come together. Then use your hands to lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Prepare the filling:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange butternut squash on the baking sheet, cut side down, and bake for 40 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from the oven. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and transfer to a medium bowl. Add butter, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
- Heat olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add chard stalks and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- In the same fry pan, add chard leaves and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until just barely wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with onion, carrots and chard stalks. Add remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
Assemble and bake the galette:
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 14" circle. Carefully transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Spread the butternut squash mash over the dough in an even layer, leaving a 2" border around the edges. Scatter the onion, carrot and chard mixture over the butternut squash mash.
- Fold the edges of the dough over the filling and crimp. Tuck the lemon wheels under the edges of the dough. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove galette from the refrigerator. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Bake galette until the crust is golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Remove galette from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Garnish with remaining Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese.
