Recipe: Celebrate Spring with a Savoury Galette

Spring has finally sprung in Ottawa. The weather is warm, flowers are blossoming, and — most importantly — spring veggies are ready for the kitchen!

My favourite local farmers’ market, the Ottawa Farmers’ Market, has recently reopened as a Click and Collect. While not the same as usual, it is still a fantastic way to buy the freshest produce from local farmers. I was even able to order a couple of my favourite spring goodies that are not available in grocery stores! This week, I bought my veg from Just Farms. The loaf (not part of my recipe) is Six Seed Sourdough from Purebread. I ordered it all through The Vendor Project, and picked it up at my designated pickup time on Sunday at the Market.

One of the earliest vegetables we harvest here is asparagus. Enjoyed since ancient Egyptian times in 3000 BC, it arrived in North America during the 1600s. What we eat is actually the young shoots: as asparagus ages, its buds open and the stalks turn woody. Stem thickness indicates the age of the plant (not the age of the stalk), with the thicker stems coming from older plants. Thickness and thinness are not an indication of tenderness or toughness. Green asparagus is enjoyed worldwide, but white asparagus is also popular in Europe and Asia. The lack of colour is due to a special way of growing the plants. It’s difficult to find the white ones in Ottawa, other than at high end restaurants.

Ramps or wild onion/garlic (far left) are unique to Eastern Canada and Eastern USA. Because they are only found in the wild, are becoming increasingly popular, and are relatively difficult to find, they are considered a rare delicacy. In fact, there are laws against harvesting them in National Parks and it is illegal to harvest them in Quebec. The farmer I buy them from harvests them from his own property. The leaves taste garlicky and the bulb tastes like onion. The whole plant can be eaten (I cut off the roots).

Young garlic or green garlic (second from right) is garlic that has not fully matured into the bulbs that everyone is familiar with. They were originally the result of farmers thinning their stocks, but they have been increasingly popular in the culinary world. They have a unique mild flavour, a cross between garlic and green onion. They can be used anywhere that you would normally use garlic, green onions, leeks, etc. Like ramps, the whole plant is edible (although you should remove the basal plate).

I really wanted to celebrate such gorgeous produce and the return of the Market, so I combined them all together in a savoury galette! Similar to pies and tarts, galettes are essentially crust-filled pastries. However, they don’t require a special pan — their free-form shape just requires a flat surface for baking. I often make these when I have leftover puff pastry or pie crust. This time, I made the crust from scratch.

My version is filled with a zippy lemon-ramp-young garlic ricotta filling and topped with thin asparagus shoots. The flaky crust is sprinkled with sesame seeds, giving it a nice nutty flavour.

For dinner, I served it alongside sweet and sour ribs. The wine, purchased through Riviera, was Riesling, Melsheimer, “Feinherb” 2016 (we were finishing a bottle from the previous night’s meal). The leftover slices were heated up for brunch the next morning (Sunday). They were served with salad (Backyard Edible’s spring greens mix — mustard greens mixed with tatsoi and red pac choi, broccoli sprouts, cucumber, lemon-thyme dressing, sesame seeds), gravlax, and fried egg.

To keep the bottom crisp when reheating, I recommend doing it in a pan, no oil or butter, over medium heat. The flavours really develop overnight and it is even better the next day! I would love to see how you serve it — please feel free to share with me.

Bon appétit!

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SPRING GALETTE

INGREDIENTS

For the dough

170g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
60g cold cream cheese (works better if not whipped)
60g cold, unsalted butter
6 tbsp cold water
1 egg yolk
1 tsp milk
Sesame seeds for sprinkling

For the filling

200g ricotta
2 tbsp heavy cream
Zest of 1 large lemon or 2 small ones
4 large young garlic (full plants, minus roots)
6 ramps (full plants, minus roots)
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp thyme
1 egg
2 bunches thin asparagus, or 1 bunch thick asparagus, sliced lengthwise
Black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the crust: Whisk together the flour and salt. Work in the cream cheese and butter until the mixture is crumbly.
2. Add in the water, and mix until you form a cohesive dough ball. Pat the dough into a disk shape, wrap, and refrigerate for at least half an hour (can also be prepped the night before).
3. Whisk egg yolk and milk. Set aside (will be for egg wash).
4. To make the filling: process garlic, ramps, oregano, and thyme in food processor until desired texture (mine was between a course and fine chop).
5. In a bowl, whisk the above mixture with ricotta, cream, zest, and egg. It will turn a nice green colour and will have a whipped texture. Set aside.
6. Snap the woody stems from the bottoms of the asparagus stalks. Chop what’s left into ~13cm (7″) pieces and toss in olive oil to coat.
7. To assemble: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 35.5cm (14″) circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
8. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 5cm/2″-wide strip along the outside edge. Arrange the asparagus pieces over the filling, with the spears pointing towards the centre. Grind black pepper on top.
9. Fold the bare edges of the dough toward the center, pleating as needed. Brush the crust with egg wash, and sprinkle sesame seeds over it.
10. Bake the galette in a preheated 425°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving warm; or cool and serve at room temperature.
11. Enjoy!