roasted squash and caramelised onion galette

i’m not a big fan of pastry but have found that smitten kitchen has some interesting pastries that are both easy to make and delicious – her empanada pastry is wonderfully light and flaky (it’s unusual for including vinegar) and, as i discovered last night, so too is the pastry she uses to make this roasted squash and caramelised onion galette.

in this case the unusual aspect is the use of sour cream (although i swapped this for greek yoghurt as that was all i had in) and lemon juice. again it is a light, flaky pastry and a great contrast to the soft sweet squash and onions. 

i’m looking forward to making different versions of this galette – spanakopita flavours of spinach and feta is an obvious choice but i also like the idea of roasted peppers, courgettes and aubergine; or something with lamb, pomegranate molasses and pine nuts. what do you think would be good?

a simplified version of smitten kitchen’s butternut squash and caramelized onion galette (serves 4-6)

for the pastry:

150g plain flour

¼ teaspoon salt

110g unsalted butter, cold

60ml sour cream (or greek yoghurt)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

60ml ice water

for the filling:

1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

15g butter

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons

1 teaspoon salt

pinch of sugar

¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

75g fontina cheese (i used cheddar), grated or cut into small bits

1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (i used fresh thyme)

to make pastry, combine the flour and salt in a bowl. using the large side of a box grater grate the butter and add this to the flour. toss the ingredients together and using your fingertips rub the butter in - you want to do this quickly, without melting the butter too much (the grated butter makes this much easier than starting with cubes of butter). when it is ready it will resemble coarse meal. make a well in the centre.

in a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the well. with your fingertips, mix the with the flour-butter mixture. bring it together in a ball - do not overwork the dough, do as little as you can get away with. cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

preheat oven to 180c. toss the squash pieces with olive oil and half the salt then roast for 30 minutes or until tender. set aside to cool slightly.

while squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy pan and cook onion over low heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. stir in cayenne.

raise the oven temperature to 200c. mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.

on a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-3cm border. fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. the centre will be open.

bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.