Zucchini and 4-Cheese Galette

My fridge was also full of random bits and pieces that I had no plans for that I definitely did not want to go to waste - a slightly old zucchini, small amounts of different cheeses, that kind of thing. So, into the kitchen I went to rustle up something special for my dinner. It ended up being this wonderful zucchini and four-cheese galette - a flaky parmesan pastry topped with a mixture of cottage, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and sliced zucchini. A bit of a springtime sunshine for this dark winter's day.

It took a little time to put dinner together, but it was easy and absorbing - a perfect distraction after a busy day. The trickiest parts are making the pastry, and salting and draining the sliced zucchini. (Don't be lazy and skip this step, zucchini give off heaps of water while baking and if you don't drain them first the tart will get waterlogged and be soggy).

Let's take a moment to talk about this parmesan pastry. I did say it was one of the trickier parts of making the tart, but it's not too difficult. It's a small quantity, so rubbing the butter into the flour doesn't take a huge amount of effort, and it was one of the most well-behaved pastries I've made in a long while - it rolled out easily with very little cracking. I found the recipe on SBS Food, and it's so good! It's a standard shortcrust pastry, with the addition of grated parmesan. It was really buttery, light, and flaky, and the parmesan made it taste and smell so inviting! Of course, it made a great sturdy base for the tart, but I think it'd work in all other sorts of applications - I'd like to try cutting the pastry out and baking cute little crackers to have with drinks, for example.

Parmesan Pastry

So, to assemble the galette, you transfer the pastry to a lined baking tray, and layer it with a mixture of cheeses (cottage, mozzarella, and feta for me), and the drained zucchini tiles. (Definitely transfer the pastry to the baking tray before assembling - the filled tart would be very difficult to transfer from bench to baking tray!)

Zucchini tiles!

Then you fold the border over the filling, pleating it to fit, and brush it with beaten egg yolk for a shiny shiny glaze.

Ready for the oven

Then you just gotta bake it! Easy. A little olive oil drizzled over helps the zucchini edges crisp up a little, and fresh thyme adds a bright springtime flavour.

Zucchini and Four-Cheese Galette

While it was in the oven, I rustled up a simple Moroccan carrot salad (grated carrots, parsley, cumin, coriander, currants and toasted pine nuts) to go with. I gotta say, I felt very smug making such a fancy looking dinner from the bits and pieces in my fridge!

Zucchini and Four-Cheese Galette

This galette was so delicious. "Four-Cheese" sounds intense, but the cheeses were well balanced (mozzarella and cottage cheese, in particular, are very mild in flavour). The pastry was super flaky and buttery, and zucchini is always delicious. Winner all around. This was best fresh out of the oven, but leftovers were very good for lunch the next day. (Hot tip: heat slices up in a sandwich press, so they stay crisp).

Zucchini and Four-Cheese Galette, Moroccan Carrot Salad

I'd never made a free-form galette before, that staple of Donna Hay and food bloggers everywhere, and now I wonder why it's taken me so long. They're easy, delicious, and look beautiful. Usually when I do a savoury tart it's on a sheet of store bought puff pastry (see my asparagus tart, my caramelised onion and roast capsicum tart with fresh cheese, and Ottolenghi's magnificent sweet potato galette). I'm very happy to be adding a new type of tart to my repertoire, and I envision that I'll be making many more of these over the next few months! Hooray.

Zucchini and Four-Cheese Galette

Galette recipe by Sarah Cooks, Pastry recipe adapted from SBS Food

Ingredients
For the parmesan pastry
15 grams grated Parmesan cheese
113 grams plain flour
1 pinch salt
75 grams cold butter, diced
1 tablespoon water
For the galette
1 medium or 2 small zucchini
1 quantity parmesan pastry (recipe below)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1 sprig fresh thyme
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
1 egg yolk, for glaze

Method
To make the pastry, place the cheese, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add the butter cubes. Use your fingertips to rub the flour into the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the water and mix in with a wooden spoon or flat bladed knife. Once the dough starts to come together, knead it gently with your hands until smooth. Form the dough into a fat disc, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Wash and trim the zucchini. Slice into 5 millimetre slices and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Sprinkle generously with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Use kitchen paper to blot up the water that comes out from the zucchini.
Place the pastry disc onto a floured surface and roll out into a rough circle approximately 5 millimetres thick. Transfer the pastry to a lined baking tray.
Mix together the three cheeses and spread onto the pastry, leaving a 5cm border.
Arrange the zucchini slices on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Drizzle the zucchini with extra virgin olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.
Fold the overhanging pastry over the cheese and zucchini filling. Brush the border with egg yolk.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Allow to sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving plate or board.

Have you made this recipe? Leave a comment below! Tag me on Instagram @sarahcooksblog and hashtag #sarahcooksblog