Roast squash, sage and hazelnut galette with spiced apple chutney

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into thin wedges
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• 60g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

For the pastry
• 200g plain flour
• 100g cold vegan block butter, cut into small cubes
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 3–4 tbsp cold water
• 1 tbsp plant-based milk, for brushing

For the spiced apple chutney
• 2 eating apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 50g soft brown sugar
• 75ml cider vinegar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Pinch of sea salt

Method

1. Make the pastry

Put the flour and salt into a bowl, then add the cold vegan butter. Rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, with a few larger buttery bits still visible.

Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Shape into a flat disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Do not overwork it. Rustic pastry is quite happy being slightly imperfect, which is useful for everyone involved.

2. Roast the squash

Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Put the squash onto a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and season well.

Roast for 20–25 minutes until just tender and beginning to caramelise at the edges. You want enough colour to bring out its sweetness, but not so much softness that it gives up completely once wrapped in pastry.

3. Soften the onion

Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the red onion with a small pinch of salt and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until soft and sweet.

Stir in the sage and cook for another minute, then remove from the heat.

4. Make the chutney

Put the apples, onion, brown sugar, cider vinegar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt into a small saucepan.

Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened and the mixture is thick, glossy and chutney-like.

If it catches at the bottom, turn the heat down and add a tiny splash of water. Chutney should be sticky, not archaeological.

5. Roll out the pastry

Roll the chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a rough circle, around 30cm across.

Transfer it onto a lined baking tray, then spread the Dijon mustard over the centre, leaving a border of around 4cm.

6. Build the galette

Scatter the softened red onion over the mustard, then arrange the roasted squash on top.

Sprinkle over most of the toasted hazelnuts, keeping a small handful back for finishing. Add a little black pepper and a few extra sage leaves if you like.

7. Fold the edges

Fold the pastry border up and over the filling, pleating it loosely as you go.

Brush the exposed pastry with plant-based milk. There is no need to make the folds too neat. The galette is meant to look as though a person made it, rather than a committee.

8. Bake until golden

Bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is crisp and deeply golden and the squash is soft and caramelised.

Scatter over the remaining hazelnuts for the final 5 minutes so they warm through without catching.

9. Serve

Leave the galette to stand for 5–10 minutes before slicing.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a generous spoonful of the spiced apple chutney alongside. A peppery green salad works beautifully too, particularly if dressed with something sharp and simple.

A couple of helpful notes
- Make sure the vegan butter is a firm block variety rather than a soft spread, as it gives the pastry much better structure.
- The apple chutney can be made several days ahead and kept covered in the fridge.
- Toasting the hazelnuts before using them brings out far more flavour and makes the finished galette feel noticeably more complete.