Roast squash, blue cheese and caramelised onion galette

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into thin wedges
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 100g vegetarian blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

For the pastry
• 200g plain flour
• 100g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 3–4 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Make the pastry

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

Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Shape into a flat disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Try not to overwork it. Pastry generally rewards a light touch and punishes unnecessary enthusiasm.

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 with salt and black pepper.

Roast for 20–25 minutes until just tender and beginning to caramelise at the edges. It will cook a little more once the galette is assembled, so stop before it becomes too soft.

3. Caramelise the onions

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions with a small pinch of salt and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, sweet and deeply golden.

Add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and cook for another 2–3 minutes until glossy and sticky. This is one of those jobs where patience genuinely improves dinner.

4. Roll out the pastry

Roll the chilled pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a rough circle, around 30cm across. Do not worry about making it perfectly round. A galette is one of the few pastries where looking a little homemade is actively encouraged.

Transfer it carefully to a lined baking tray.

5. Build the galette

Spread the caramelised onions over the pastry, leaving a border of around 4cm around the edge.

Arrange the roasted squash over the onions, then scatter over the blue cheese and thyme. Add a little black pepper, but go cautiously with extra salt as the cheese will bring plenty of its own.

6. Fold the edges

Fold the pastry border up and over the filling, pleating it loosely as you go. Brush the exposed pastry with the beaten egg.

There is no need to make the folds identical. In fact, if they are identical you may have slightly missed the point.

7. Bake until golden

Bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is crisp and deeply golden and the blue cheese has melted into the squash and onions.

If a little cheese escapes and caramelises on the tray, regard that as a bonus rather than an administrative failure.

8. Let it settle

Leave the galette to stand for 5–10 minutes before slicing. This gives the filling a chance to settle and stops the first slice from sliding apart with quite so much ambition.

9. Serve

Serve warm or at room temperature with a crisp green salad or some peppery rocket dressed simply with lemon juice and olive oil.

The richness of the cheese and sweet onions works particularly well with something fresh and sharp alongside.

A couple of helpful notes
- Check that the blue cheese is made with vegetarian rennet if you are serving this as a strictly vegetarian dish.
- The squash and onions can both be prepared a few hours ahead, which makes final assembly very straightforward.
- The galette is excellent at room temperature, so there is no need to panic about getting it onto the table the second it leaves the oven.