When I talk about the ‘Southern Trio’ I am referring to the holy trinity of
eggplant, zucchini, and tomato. Think Provence or Sicily and how prominently
this combination figures into their regional cuisine. In this dish however, the
eggplant is definitely the star.
I guarantee that this rustic savoury galette is so delicious and
charming, you’d think you were transported to the sunny Mediterranean. The
unctuous savouriness of the eggplant combined with the mellow crunch of the
zucchini, and the juicy freshness of the tomatoes alongside the flaky buttery
pastry makes for a truly heavenly dish.
RUSTIC SOUTHERN TRIO GALETTE
SHORTCRUST PASTRY: for a simple fail-proof shortcrust
pastry recipe go to http://tattyapron.blogspot.ca/2013/05/stinging-nettle-quiche.html
If making only enough pastry for one galette, simply
halve the measurements.
INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING:
3 Tbs olive oil
½ onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
½ large eggplant, diced into small cubes
1 medium zucchini, diced into small cubes
100 ml tomato passata
1 whole tomato, sliced into 1 cm slices
grated Gruyère, or any good quality cheese which melts nicely
salt and pepper
1 egg yolk, whisked
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- In a pan, heat up the olive
oil on medium heat, then sauté the eggplant until it begins to become
translucent and is just beginning to soften.
- To this, you add your
onions, followed by the garlic. Let them cook gently together until they
are soft and brown, but not burnt.
- Stir in the tomato passata
and let simmer on low heat for about 15- 20 minutes adding a bit of water
if you find that the mixture is drying out.
- Towards the end stir in your
finely chopped zucchini, season well with salt and pepper, let mingle for
a minute then take off the heat. Set aside to cool.
- If you kept the pastry in
the freezer make sure you have defrosted it overnight in the refrigerator.
Roll out your short crust pastry onto a clean and lightly flowered surface
into a relatively thin round shape. You can be meticulous and trim the
edges to form a perfectly round disc but this is a rustic dish and I
personally like the rough uneven edges, c’est très charmant.
- Transport the pastry to a
large backing tray lined with parchment paper. Using a fork, prick around
the base of the pastry. Take your filling and spoon it onto the middle of
your pastry, leaving about 3 inches off the edges free. Cover with a
shaving of Grueyere cheese and top with the tomato slices. Add a drizzle
of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Now, fold up the uncovered
border over the edge of your filling into pleats then brush the egg yolk
onto the crust. This will give it an irresistible sheen and will help seal
the pleats.
- Place in a 400 F oven for
about 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Let cool for a few minutes,
sprinkle with chopped parsley or basil.