A winter’s galette of leek, chard and gorgonzola

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry

250g flour

140g butter

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp thyme, finely chopped

Tsp salt

2tsp cold milk or water

For the filling

1 tbsp butter

2 leeks

200g swiss chard

1/2 lemon, zested

50g gorgonzola, cut into small chunks

Beaten egg or splash of milk

METHOD

Place the flour in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small (1cm ish cubes) and rub into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the thyme and salt and swiftly stir. Add the egg yolk, milk/water and mix swiftly with a cutlery knife to combine before bringing together with your hands. Knead briefly but stop as soon as the dough has come together.

Roll out into a 1 inch wide slab before wrapping and chilling in the fridge for half an hour. 

While the pastry is chilling, cut the colourful stems from the Swiss chard and cut into batons and coarsely chop the leaves. Thinly slice the leeks. 

Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium head until starting to foam, then add the leeks, chard stems and a pinch of salt. Cook for around 10-15 minutes or until they have both softened. At this point add the leaves and cover with a lid to steam for about 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest and season to taste. Sprinkle over a dessertspoon of flour so any excess moisture is absorbed. 

Roll out the pastry between two pieces of parchment paper into a circle about the width of a pound coin, transfer to a large baking tray and remove the top piece of parchment. Leaving 3cm free from the border, evenly spoon over the vegetable filling. Place the gorgonzola evenly over the filling and fold over the pastry into a near hexagonal shape, overlapping each fold slightly. Place back in the fridge for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan and place another baking tray in to heat up. Use the parchment underneath to slide the galette onto the second baking sheet and brush lightly with a beaten egg or milk, bearing in mind egg will yield a more golden result. Bake for around 30 minutes or until golden and crisp at the edges. Serve with a simple French dressed salad.