Zucchini and Ricotta galette

Did you all see this one on Smitten Kitchen a few days ago? The Kitchen Witch sure did and made it right away! We're all so glad that I did! Not only was it delicious, it wasn't hard to prepare and was very impressive to present. Win/win! This was the first galette that the Witch made, it will not be the last! I have all sorts of ideas for galettes with garden fresh produce, assuming my garden gets around to producing fresh produce sometime soon.

The Kitchen Witch made the dough a day in advance and let it rest in the fridge for a full 24 hours. This was actually unintentional; life came up and I wasn't able to make it the day the dough was made, so, it had to wait for the following night. In no way did the dough suffer from the extended resting time. It was light, flaky and puffy, like a puff pastry, the egg wash really made it croissant like in texture, taste and color. Best of all, it was easy. It even rolled out easily, something that this Witch consistently have issue with. The Witches' kitchen has recently been upgraded to include a French rolling pin, it made all the difference in ease of rolling dough. If you don't have one I highly recommend getting one. Bed, Bath & beyond has them for $8. Totally worth it!

As usual, deviations from the original recipe were made, I added 1/4 c feta cheese and used thyme rather than basil. The feta honestly didn't add much flavor impact so feel free to leave it out if you'd prefer. I had some to use up & figured why not. Thyme was used for 2 reasons: 1. I had fresh thyme, my basil isn't too big yet and 2. I like thyme more than basil. As always feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand & enjoy.


Zucchini and Ricotta galette
makes 8 wedges
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

Filling:
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds (I used the slicing blade of my food processor)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves, thyme or other fresh herb

Glaze:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Make dough: Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Make filling: Spread the zucchini out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 30 minutes; gently blot the tops of the zucchini dry with paper towels before using. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare galette: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (though if you line it with parchment paper, it will be easier to transfer it to a plate later). Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.




Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with herbs, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 256.7
Total Fat 18.4 g
Saturated Fat 10.4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.8 g
Cholesterol 69.1 mg
Sodium 372.2 mg
Potassium 77.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 16.6 g
Dietary Fiber 0.6 g
Sugars 0.1 g
Protein 6.4 g