food to glow

My roasted tomato galette is a delicious savory tart, with a freeform cornmeal and fennel seed-flecked crust. Nestling slow-roasted tomatoes and a quick savoury spread – choice of two – this bake is a tweak on a sweet Food To Glow favourite – the fruit galette.

Word of advice: don’t be put off by the long instructions. It is a relatively easy make, just needing a bit of your time. But truthfully, not much attention. And I would highly recommend making a double recipe, if your food processor allows. One in each flavour. With perhaps some slivers or zucchini (below left), or lightly roasted cubes of eggplant bunged on for good measure. Like many of my recipes, I would love you to make it your own.

This roasted tomato galette is a vegetarian slow food recipe for lovers of deep umami flavours. If you manage to hold off demolishing the whole tart in one go, carefully pack a slice or two in your lunch box. You will instantly be the envy of your sandwich-nibbling co-workers. 🙂

An ode to the heirloom tomato

This recipe celebrates the unruly fruity glory that is the heirloom tomato. Ugly-beautiful and rather precious, these naturally-pollinated tomatoes are bred for taste rather than longevity. And that taste! Floral, savory, aromatic, complex: it’s no wonder that the scent turns up in fine perfumes and candles.

You may even find that the herbal-sweet aroma of slow roasting tomatoes is as intoxicating as the scent of any cake. I know it is for me. 🙂

The finest way to enjoy heirloom tomatoes – in my opinion – is warm off the vine, sliced onto a cool plate and lightly showered in flaky salt, with maybe a drizzle of grassy good olive oil. The second best – if I may be so bold – is this roasted tomato galette.

The heat of the oven concentrates the very essence of the tomatoes’ taste, filling the mouth with a kind of chewy tomato candy. How good does that sound? The texture and complex flavours of the roasted tomatoes marries exquisitely well with the fennel seed-scented, quite delicate crust. And of course with both of the intensely umami spreads.

Where to find the best tomatoes

If not homegrown (mine aren’t), check your local farmer’s market rather than Sainsbury’s or Publix. A chilly supermarket is not a heritage tomato’s friend. Or any tomato’s friend, for that matter. Leave them on a windowsill to eat on the day or, at a push, the next day. If making this or another roasted tomato recipe they can cope with one more day, so long as there are no blemishes to shorten their already-short lifespan.

As for myself, I have been picking up rather keenly-priced specimens in many sizes, shapes and colours from a nearby green grocer. Squashed, ribbed Marmande-types, smooth tiger-striped greens, perfectly round purples ones: they all have their own unique taste. Have a look at this lovely specialty produce website and trawl through the cute tomato names and delicious descriptions.

Often little “mom and pop” type shops are a cheaper option for heirloom – heritage – tomatoes than chi-chi farmer’s markets. Although with the latter you will be getting them direct from the grower. Having spent early summers on my grandparent’s Tennessee farm, I gravitate towards these lightly cultivated, natural varieties. Their short, sweet season is a time to rejoice. And a time to fleetingly embrace a taste of the past.

But you of course don’t need to make this soft-yet-crisp galette with fancy tomatoes, with their delicate nature. Use any that you know to have a good taste and aren’t too watery. Although I have a good technique for dealing with the delicious but pesky tomato water. More below. 🙂

How to make a Roasted Tomato Galette

Like I said in the intro, don’t be put off by the instructions. I have gone a bit overboard in describing the process, but it’s to reassure rather than frighten. Honest! I rarely make pastry but this one is my savory go-to. Rolling it out you may find that it cracks at the edges. Not being made entirely of finely milled wheat flour this is inevitable, but not a problem. Just as for pâte sucrée, patch the cracks and get on with the rest.

Make the dough and roast the tomatoes.

This is more or less hands off, but does take time. First off, pulse cold dough ingredients in a food processor until you get a pebbly dough. Then add the water and vinegar (vinegar is a magic ingredient in this kind of dough; although a top US baking site says not really). Then flatten into a disk and pop in the fridge to rest. Refrigerate at least half an hour, but an hour is even better. To be honest, 30 minutes is fine by me, although baking experts (hand not raised) might say otherwise.

For the tomatoes, slice them and lay on absorbent paper or a tea towel to drain away some of the liquid. Then place slices on oil-slicked, foil-lined trays, brushing with more oil then baking at a medium-ish heat for 45 minutes, adding the garlic and herb sprigs after a wee while. This timing should give you shrunken but soft tomatoes, somewhat sticky from the concentrated natural sugars. I like to roast more than I need just to eat off the tray, and perhaps to save for a quick bready snack. If you roast loads and loads, consider bottling them in best olive oil with a scalded sprig of thyme and bunging in the fridge to use over the next couple of weeks.

The flavour bombs

While the tomatoes are roasting and the dough is resting, make whichever of the flavoured spreads that takes your fancy. My fave is the rose harissa mixed with date syrup (or use honey) and ketchup (add preserved lemon pieces if desired). Andrew’s is the black olive tapenade mixed with chopped preserved lemon. Both are two/three-ingredient flavour bombs. Try them in other dishes, too.

Putting it together

Once the dough and tomatoes are sorted, it’s time to roll out the dough. Liberally flour your work surface and roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thick. It is slightly crumbly to roll out so don’t fret when it inevitably cracks. This is a rustic galette and its cracks and imperfections are part of it beauty. 🙂 Roll half of the dough loosely onto the rolling pin then unfurl onto a baking paper-lined tray. Spread your flavour bomb over the surface, thinning it out towards the edges. Add on the roasted garlic slices, sliced raw shallot pieces and tomatoes, leaving a gap at the edges. Push the edges up and over the filling so that much of the tomato is still showing.

At this point, don’t be tempted to neaten it up: the baked craggy bits taste the best – true! Brush with egg and refrigerate before baking. Refrigerating helps to ensure a crisp rather than soggy crust. You start at a higher temp to burnish the crust, then turn down the dial to finish baking but not burn. Then it’s a testing time of waiting to cool a bit then slice up to serve with the suggested ricotta dip and chopped herbs.

Shortcuts

If you really don’t fancy making the dough, use quality puff pastry, being sure to dock it all around with a fork to reduce puffiness.

Use semi-dried tomatoes in oil instead of home-roasted. I’ve not tried this but I imagine it would be delicious. Definitely add herbs to perk it up though.

Use best-quality prepared tapenade or harissa.

Tweaks

To make a softer, more pliant, dough don’t use the cornmeal and possibly replace oats with more flour. (images are a combination of cornmeal dough and non-cornmeal dough)

Use a good, solid non-dairy block ‘butter’ to make this wholly vegan. Naturli’ is my go-to vegan butter brand.

Try red pesto if the heat of harissa doesn’t appeal (although it is massively tempered in this recipe)

Add lightly roasted eggplant pieces or thin slivers of zucchini and broccoli stem

Add thin coins of cooked potato for a carby treat!

What else might you add?

 

**If you fancy making your own harissa, try my rose harissa one. I have made it many times over the years, as have others. It is a bung-it-in-the-blender recipe and is incredibly delicious. Better than any of bought ones that I’ve tried.**

More savory baking on Food To Glow!

Broccoli, Cheese and Sweet Potato Gözleme

Wild Greens, Chickpea and Feta-Ricotta Börek

Goat’s Cheese, Chard and Walnut Strudel with Tomato Fondue Dip

Porcini Mushroom Stroganoff Strudels

Mediterranean Vegetable and Halloumi Galette (made with phyllo)

Moroccan Kale, Carrot and Hummus Tart

and more in my Recipe Index, under “Baking, Savoury”

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