The Summer Kitchen ... in Winter

I went for a ride yesterday and then parked and walked in the woods for a bit ... before the roar of snowmobiles let me know that I was about to be engulfed by engines and exhaust and the spinning of metal belts and flinging of mud and snow. Then, I retreated back down the path and on further down the road.


There was a yeasted whole wheat crust rising at the house, so I was on a bit of a time table for walking, but it sure was a pretty day for a quick jaunt.


I found this summer kitchen sitting next to an old house down the road ... what colors next to the whites and greys of winter woods!  The light in the woods was really wonderful because of the cloud cover ...

Later, on the way home, I came upon this view of our Mount Monadnock ... screeching to a stop, I jumped out and got this shot ... so beautiful!

We're due for another storm in the next couple days ... it can only make things more lovely. The weatherman says this next storm will bring heavy wet snow worthy of snowmen and snow forts. It's school vacation week here in New Hampshire, so I can just imagine the fun the kids will be having if we get any real accumulation out of this next big blow! Stay tuned!

In the meantime, a spinach and kale galette for our Meatless Monday supper. It was just full of healthy vegetable and fiber in the crust. Another interesting ingredient in this galette is za'atar, a Moroccan spice mixture made with sumac, thyme, salt, and toasted sesame seeds. It has a really distinctive flavour that worked well with the chickpea, greens, onions, and garlic galette filling.

The galette crust is rolled out to make a huge circle about 18 inches in diameter. Then, it is centered on a large cookie sheet. The filling gets plopped in the middle and the crust is folded up and pleated to completely encase the filling. The whole thing is chilled for about an hour and then, the galette gets an egg glaze and an hour long bake. It  is eaten when warm.

a very thin crust remains pliant because of the stretchiness that the yeast and gluten give it

wilted greens, onions, and garlic have feta cheese and chickpeas added to make a healthy filling

six folds make the pleats at either end of the galette

very tasty and the crust cuts beautifully

Final Verdict:  SB and I feel that the galette would benefit from a dipping sauce - a soft Moroccan spiced tomato sauce would be perfect. We also felt that the amount of za'atar should be cut back on a bit, as it is strongly flavoured with thyme and that green herbal punch was a bit overpowering. Otherwise, we loved it. It's hearty and filling. We had roasted tomatoes as a side dish and were completely satisfied with hot cups of tea ... a wonderful wintertime supper ... and meatless, to boot!

Martha Rose Shulman’s Mixed Greens Galette

from Recipes For Health – NYT.com

Ingredients:

1 yeasted whole wheat olive oil pastry crust (recipe follows)

1 large onion, quartered and sliced

1 lb. mixed greens (kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens) – I used spinach and kale only

Salt to taste

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

Black pepper

1 ½ tsp. za’atar

1- 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 large eggs, beaten

3 oz. feta cheese, cut into small cubes

Beaten egg for an egg wash glaze

To make your own za’atar: Mix together in a mortar and pestle: 1 ½ tsp. thyme.1 ½ tsp. toasted sesame seeds, ¾ tsp. powdered sumac, a pinch of sea salt. Grind the mixture together and store in a tightly closed jar.

Making the Galette:

1. Make the dough and set it aside to rise.
2. Bring a deep pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the greens and blanch for three minutes.
3. While the greens blanch, get a big bowl and fill it with ice cold water. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the blanched greens out of the pot and plop them in the cold water.
4. Squeeze as much water out of the greens as you can and then chop them into ribbons. Place the greens in a big mixing bowl and set aside.
5. Heat the olive oil in a fry pan and add the onions, cooking them until they are shiny and limp. Add the salt, black pepper, and  garlic and continue cooking for another minute or two.
6. Turn the onions into the greens bowl and toss everything together. Add the za’atar and correct the salt and pepper flavours.
7. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add them to the greens along with the cheese cubes and chickpeas. Toss everything together and set aside.
8. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to make a large 18 – 20 inch circle of dough.
9. Transfer the dough to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
10. Plop the filling in the center of the galette crust and fold the outer edges up and over the filling. Pleat opposite ends together to fold neatly together at the top.
11. Chill the galette for an hour.
12. Preheat the oven to 375° F . just before baking, brush the galette generously with a beaten egg glaze.
13. Bake 50 minutes, covering the galette loosely with foil at about the 35 minutes mark, so it doesn’t over brown.
14. Let the galette sit for about ten minutes before serving warm.

Whole Wheat Olive Oil Pastry

Ingredients:

¼ c. warm water (109° F)

¼ tsp. sugar

2 tsp. active dry yeast

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. olive oil

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. minus 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour

2 tbsp. wheat germ

 ¾ tsp. salt

1. Place the sugar and yeast in the warm water and set aside for five to ten minutes.
2. Whisk together the flours, salt, and wheat germ in a deep bowl.
3. Make a well and add the egg, olive oil, and foamy yeast mixture.
4. Mix together with a spoon until a raggy dough forms. Switch over to kneading the dough ball right in the bowl with your fist, turning and tossing it to absorb all the flour.
5. When the dough ball is smooth and uniform, cover the bowl with a damp towel and set the bowl in a warm spot for one hour.
6. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to the specifications of your recipe.