Seasonal Ontario Food

Mix the flour with the baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix in the oil, until the mixture is crumbly and there is no dry flour remaining. Mix the lemon juice into a 1/2 cup of water, then stir them in to form a slightly soft dough - if it does not form a soft dough, add a tablespoon or 2 more of water until it does. Turn it out onto a clean surface and knead for a few strokes until it is quite smooth, but don't over-work it - it is pastry, after all. It should not be sticky. Return it to the bowl, cover, and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes. It will firm up a bit as it sits.

It's been a while since I made Sweet Potato Waffles. The last time - and the time I posted them - my waffle iron was in the process of dying. Consequently the waffles failed to get really crisp, and the photo showed it, with them lying there like dead, floppy, fish. The sweet potato means they are still somewhat soft and tender, but also really delicious.

When I made them this time I left out the sugar and used whole spelt flour, making them suitable for an occasional treat. Changes at the linked recipe.

Like pumpkin pie, only with sweet potatoes. As ever, they bring their own sweetness and don't need much more to be added. I have to say, this was fabulous - really, really amazing. It's one of those things I'm almost sorry to know about, because it is so good, and now I will want it all the time.

This is a traditional pie in the southern United States, although it traditionally has a lot more sugar. I can't even imagine it! I thought this was perfect. It's a big, filling pie, so it is definitely 8 servings. Other than the need to roast the sweet potatoes in advance, this is also ridiculously simple to make.

As usual, it set up better once it sat overnight. As usual, it was cut long before then. But also, I think the flavours improved with a night in the fridge too, so do try to make it a day ahead of when you want it.

8 servings
1 hour 45 minutes - 45 minutes prep time
not including baking the sweet potatoes


1/2 recipe pastry, (enough for bottom crust) of your choice
2 cups (2 to 3 medium) roasted sweet potato, peeled and mashed
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg (about 1/6 nutmeg)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rum
1/2 cup whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Roll the pastry to fit a 9" pie plate. Transfer it in, and press it into place. Prick it all over with a fork, then bake for 10 minutes until set and lightly coloured.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Mash and measure the sweet potatoes, and put them in a mixing bowls with the eggs, spices, and sugar. Whisk well  until smoothly and evenly combined. Whisk in the rum and whipping cream.

When the crust has baked for 10 minutes, set the oven temperature to 325°F. Scrape the filling into the crust and spread it out evenly. Return the pie to the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour, until the filling is set. Let the pie cool completely before cutting and serving.




Last year at this time I made Coconut Oat Blondies. 

This is a nice, simple every-day soup (with leeks! Surprise!) which doesn't take a lot of effort, especially if you are using left-over baked sweet potatoes. Not likely to have left-over sweet potatoes, you say? Well, what you do, is you bake 2 extra ones and don't let them hit the table the first time. So not exactly left-overs, but more plan-overs. It's a good plan, because left-over baked sweet potatoes are so useful, for so many things.

4 to 6 servings
1 hour - 20 minutes prep time NOT including roasting the sweet potatoes


2 cups mashed roasted sweet potato (2 large)
3 large leeks
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons barley OR soft wheat flour
4 cups unsalted chicken OR vegetable stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

As ever; it takes between an hour and an hour and half to roast whole sweet potatoes. They should be reasonably cool; peel and mash them very well.

Wash, trim, chop and wash the leeks again. Drain them well.

Heat the butter in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Cook the leeks gently until quiet soft and reduced in volume, but don't let them brown. Add the seasoning and sprinkle the flour over them. Mix it in until no white flecks remain, then slowly stir in the stock. Add the vinegar.

Let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then serve hot. This is the sort of thing that would be good with a dab of sour cream or thick yogurt.




Last year at this time I made Cabbage, Bacon & Quinoa Salad. 

This isn't exactly a cake. It's a bit too solid and pudding-y, but it's round and it cuts and it's full of chocolate. It's a bit like sweet potato pone meets that famous flourless chocolate cake from the '80s. Definitely delicious, and I'll take it.

As is now usual, I've kept the sugar down as much as I think reasonably possible. You could add more, I'm sure, although it seemed sweet enough for me, what with the sweet potatoes as well as the sugar. Mind you, I have definitely adjusted to having things much less sweet than I used to.

I used half sugar and half erythritol-monkfruit blend for the sugar. I've been experimenting a bit with similar artificial sweeteners, but when they run out I think I will just go back to using sugar. From my reading, it seems that although they have no calories, they still affect your blood sugar as if you had eaten sugar, and that's what leads to weight gain and diabetes, more than the actual calories. This would certainly explain why the widespread availability of artificial sweeteners has done nothing to prevent these things.

But enough about that! Have some marvelous, delicious, healthy cake! 

12 servings
1 hour to 1 1/2 hours to roast the potatoes
1 hour 20 minutes - 20 minutes prep time to make the cake


Roast & Mash the Sweet Potatoes:
1 kilogram (2 1/4 pounds; 3 or 4 large) sweet potatoes

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Wash the sweet potatoes and poke them in several places with a fork. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, until soft. Let cool.

Peel and mash the sweet potatoes very thoroughly, discarding the skins. For best results press them through a coarse sieve, potato ricer, or food mill.

This can be done up to a day in advance, and the sweet potato purée covered and kept refrigerated until needed.

Make the Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
125 grams (1/4 pound) unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons rum OR orange juice
a little finely grated orange zest, OPTIONAL
4 large eggs

Put the butter in a heavy-bottomed, largish pot - a soup pot is excellent. The batter will be mixed right in the pot. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the sweet potatoes and the eggs. Heat gently until the butter and chocolate are melted. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper, and butter the sides.

When everything is melted and smoothly amalgamated, remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the sweet potato purée until well blended. Break in the eggs, one at a time, and beat them in well.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out evenly. Bake for 1 hour at 350°F. Let cool and set completely before serving, preferably overnight.




Last year at this time I made Winter Hodge-Podge.

Here is a festive take on a typical salad around here; I've done lots of quinoa and other grain-based salads, and lots of salads with roasted vegetables, and lots of salads with fruits and nuts. This one has them all, plus some pretty lively seasonings. 

It was made for a large family gathering, but it's not too fancy to be what's for dinner, and I would think leftovers would hold fairly well. Not that we found out, of course.

6 servings
allow 1 hour 20 minutes for advance cooking
allow 30 minutes to cool vegetables
allow 10 minutes to finish assembling the salad


Cook the Quinoa:
1 cup raw quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put the ingredients into the rice cooker; turn on and cook. Let cool.

Roast the Vegetables:
500 grams (1 generous pound; probably 2) sweet potatoes
6 to 8 large shallots
300 grams (10 ounces) Brussels sprouts
3 or 4 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Wash and trim the sweet potatoes, and cut them into bite-sized chunks. Put them into a large shallow baking tray and toss them with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Put them into the oven to roast.

Meanwhile, peel and trim the shallots, and cut them into fairly large slivers. When the sweet potatoes have roasted for about 10 minutes, toss them into the sweet potatoes along with another tablespoon of oil.

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts, and cut them in halves or quarters according to size. Toss them into the roasting vegetables when the sweet potatoes have been roasting for about 20 minutes (i.e. 10 minutes after adding the shallots). Season generously with salt and pepper and continue roasting the vegetables for another 30 to 40 minutes until they are done to your liking - it is a good idea to stir them at least once in the middle of that time.

When the vegetables are roasted, allow them to cool to somewhere between slightly warm and room temperature.

Make the Dressing:
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fine hot red chile flakes
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
the juice of 1 1/2 large limes

Measure the oils and seasonings into a jam jar or small bowl. Peel and mince the garlic finely, and add it. Juice the limes and add the juice to the other ingredients. Mix well or shake together until well blended.

Assemble the Salad:
2/3 cup roasted salted peanuts
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Loosen and break up the cooked quinoa in a large mixing bowl. Add the roasted vegetables and toss to combine. Mix in the roasted peanuts and dried cranberries. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat it in the dressing. Transfer the salad to a large serving bowl and serve.





Last year at this time I made Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts & Parmesan. 

We went to Ottawa and Gatineau for a long weekend to visit relatives. That was 2 days on the road, and 2 days visiting, which is much too long on the road, especially given that we hit that first snow storm of the season on the way back. We were fed quite well by our relatives but food on the road leaves much to be desired, especially if you are trying to track it down in small, isolated towns, as we were. It was a relief to start our week back home with something healthy and delicious and more like our usual fare.

I mentioned before that boiled and cooled then re-cooked potatoes are easier on the blood-sugar. They make good hash, too. Convenient! Other than needing to remember to cook the potato in advance, this is a quick and simple meal. Any kind of protein is all that is needed to make it a full meal, which is also nice. If you don't want meat, top it with some poached or fried eggs. Or maybe even if you do. Bacon and sausage seem very appropriate but fish or chicken would go very well too.

4 servings
45 minutes prep time, not including boiling the potato


Boil the Potato:
1 large (250 grams; 1/2 pound) baking potato

Put a pot of water on to boil, then boil the potato for 10 minutes. Drain and cool. This can be done up to a day ahead.

Make the Hash:
500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
1 medium (250 grams; 1/2 pound) sweet potato
3 or 4 medium shallots
3 or 4 tablespoons bacon fat OR mild vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut them into thin slices. Place them in a colander. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

Wash and trim the sweet potato, if required, and grate it coarsely. Grate the potato coarsely, discarding any skin that peels off of it, which is likely to be most of it. Peel and sliver the shallots.

When the water boils, pour it evenly over the Brussels sprouts in the colander and let them drain. Meanwhile, Heat 2 tablespoons of the fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potato and potato shreds and toss them in the fat, then spread them out and let them cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Turn them once you can see some brown flecks starting to form. Adjust the heat as necessary.

Add the blanched Brussels sprouts and mix them in. Continue cooking the hash, turning and mixing the vegetables every few minutes to cook them evenly and distribute the lightly browned bits amongst them. You are likely to need to drizzle a bit more fat or oil over them as they cook; enough to keep them from sticking or scorching but not enough to let them become greasy. Season them with salt and pepper as they cook; if you use bacon fat keep in mind that it will be supplying some amount of salt.

When the hash is cooked to your liking, serve it at once.





Last year at this time I made Warm Chicken & Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Vegetables.

We eat a lot of beans around here and I have to admit I do get a little tired of them sometimes. Peanut butter and sweet potatoes make for an unusual version of them, and we enjoyed this very much. This kind of peanut stew is a traditional West African dish, and numerous versions exist. I've made it before, in fact, with chicken. It often contains some kind of astringent greens, but at this time of year they would have to be frozen. I just didn't put any in.

Normally I would serve something like this garnished with chopped peanuts but I actually haven't been able to find any local ones for sale around here lately... grumble grumble, mutter mutter. And our peanut harvest last year was pathetic... enough to save for seed but not enough to eat any. Bah!

4 to 6 servings
45 minutes prep time, not including the beans & sweet potatoes


Cook the Beans & Roast the Sweet Potatoes:
1 1/2 cups dry kidney beans
OR use 2 540 ml (19 ounce) cans of beans
500 grams (1 generous pound) sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

Rinse and pick over the beans. Put them in a pot with plenty of water to cover them. Bring them to a boil then cover them, turn them off, and let them soak for 4 to 6 hours. Change the water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until tender.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

Wash and trim the sweet potatoes and cut them into large bite-sized chunks. Toss them in a baking dish where they can be spread out in a single layer with the oil. Roast them at 400°F until easily pierced with a fork but not mushy; about 40 to 45 minutes.

Both of these can be cooked a day in advance.

Make the Stew:
1 red or orange pepper (optional)
1 large onion
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon finely grated or minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon (to taste) hot red chile flakes or powder
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup chopped peanuts to garnish (optional)

Core, de-seed, and chop the pepper. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and mince the garlic. Peel and grate or mince the ginger.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. Cook the pepper and onion until softened over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Add the ginger and garlic, and mix in well. Grind the cumin seeds and add them to the pot with the other seasonings. Mix in well, and continue cooking for just a minute or two.

Add the crushed tomatoes and the drained, cooked beans. You can add some of the bean cooking water if you want a soupier texture. Mix enough liquid from the pot into the peanut butter to work it into a thin, pourable and lump-free state. Mix it into the stew. Add the sweet potatoes.

Simmer the stew for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently - this is a stew that likes to scorch. Serve at once id you like, but remember that like most bean dishes this is better re-heated the next day.





Last year at this time I made Red Flannel Salad. 

Well this isn't a recipe so much as me eating crow boiled squash and sweet potatoes, and liking it.  I've long averred that neither is any good when boiled, and I still don't think it is the best technique for cooking these vegetables. On the other hand you don't always want to turn the oven on, especially if  you are just roasting vegetables for one dish. This is a perfectly reasonable alternative.

It's essentially the same technique as with Parsnips & Pears not long ago. After the vegetables are boiled, they are drained and cooked in butter for a short while to drive off a little moisture and to brown them. This gives sweetness and complexity to the flavour and avoids sogginess.

I just seasoned mine with a little nutmeg, but they can be done however you like. I can see this with a balsamic drizzle, as with these Pan Cooked Sweet Potatoes.

flexible servings
45 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


butternut squash
sweet potatoes
unsalted butter
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
a little nutmeg OR other seasonings to taste

Put a pot of lightly salted water on to boil, sufficient to hold all the vegetables with comfort. 

Peel and de-seed squash, and cut it into chunks not more than 1 1/2" in any direction. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them likewise.

When the water boils, add the squash and cook for 3 or 4 minutes before adding the sweet potatoes. Boil for a further 12 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Drain the vegetables and return them to the stove, with butter added in the proportions of about 2 teaspoons of butter to a cup of vegetables. Mash well, and continue to cook and stir them over medium-high heat. Season with the pepper and any other seasonings you like. They may need some salt, but adjust it after you have tasted the mash. When the mixture is thick and you are smelling caramelized notes from the vegetables, turn them into a serving dish and serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Dutch Slavinken, with which this would go very well.

Sweet potatoes from raw to on the table in 20 minutes! It always seems to take more like an hour and 20 minutes to roast them, even when they are cut up and cooked at a reasonably high temperature. You will have to watch them more closely but such is life. Also when I say "1 large or 2 medium" sweet potatoes, I mean the amount you will eat, obvs, whatever that is.

The balsamic drizzle is the simplest thing ever, and it definitely added to the appeal. I put in a bit of hot pepper but if you don't want things particularly hot a good grind of black pepper should work well too.

Now I'm a bit sad because our sweet potato crop was not great last year, and there are only enough left for 2 more meals. The "seed" sweet potatoes are currently sitting in glass jars to root and sprout though, so we expect to have them again next fall. Let's hope for a better growing season! 

2 servings
20 minutes prep time


Make the Sauce:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons apple butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground Aleppo or black pepper

Mix together; and set aside, in a little serving jug or dish.

Cook the Sweet Potatoes:
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes
2 to 3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

Wash and trim the sweet potatoes, so the 2 narrow ends are flat and parallel to each other. Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/4" slices.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, or use 2 skillets if you will need that to get them all in in a single layer. The oil should cover the bottom of the pan generously, but we are not deep-frying here.

When the pan is to the usual temperature for cooking eggs, pancakes, etc, gently put in sweet potato slices. Careful - the oil may spatter. They can touch each other and generally be quite crowded, but they should not overlap. Pour in about 1/4 cup of water to each pan - stand back for spattering, again. Put a lid on the pan(s) and cook for 4 or 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and turn the sweet potato slices over. They should be nicely browned, and the sweet potatoes should show definite signs of softening. Continue cooking the sweet potatoes for another 4 or 5 minutes, this time with the lid off. When the water is all evaporated, the sweet potatoes are nicely browned on both sides, and the flesh is tender but still holding together, transfer them to a serving plate.

Serve drizzled with the balsamic sauce.





Last year at this time I made Tea-Braised Pork.

There isn't much to this, but that's fine. It's a nice variation on the theme of roasted sweet potatoes. 

And since I think that's the shortest introduction I've ever written, I'm going to take a moment to rant about the quality of dried thyme that's been commercially available for the last few years, since that's commonly an ingredient in za'atar. You'll note there isn't any called for here.

For a while I kept buying thyme, measuring it out to cook with, and then tossing it because it had neither scent nor flavour. First I thought mine sat in the cupboard too long. Then I thought the stock I was getting from the store was not fresh. But several stores later including ones which really should have decent turnover of a foundational herb like thyme, I concluded that the problem was further back in the supply line than that. Next year I am going to make a point of planting, growing, and drying thyme myself because it seems to be the only way to get any that's even halfway usable, never mind good!

4 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 15 minutes prep time


Make the Za'atar:
2 teaspoons rubbed savory
1 teaspoon rubbed oregano
3 teaspoons sumac
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Mix it all in a small bowl.

Roast the Sweet Potatoes:
1 kilogram (2 pounds; 4 medium) sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Wash, trim, and chop the sweet potatoes into slightly larger than bite-sized chunks. Toss them with the olive oil in a shallow 8" x 10" baking (lasagne) dish. Sprinkle the za'atar over them and toss them again.

Roast the sweet potatoes for about 1 hour until soft, giving them a stir in the middle if you can.

That's it... don't burn your mouth!




Last year at this time I made Three Sisters' Stew.

I really hate making other peoples' recipes. Sure I will take inspiration from things I see out there, but then I want to get my own mitts all over it, and tweak it this way and that way, and make it mine.

Of course I have changed this but that has more with my inability to follow the bloody directions than with making it my own. This one is still Tesco's recipe. Yes, I said Tesco. English supermarket food, who would have thought!?

Mine wasn't as pretty because I am no food stylist and also there is no arugula (they are calling it rocket) here in January. Hence the sprouts, which were very nice. I would make this again in the spring once the arugula is up though, and use it then. Moreover our most productive sweet potato is Georgia Jet, which claims to be orange but which is in fact a muddy yellow at best. Fortunately it tastes just fine.

I served it all up between us and thought I would make the usual cheery claim that we ate it all, but in fact it is a mighty substantial salad and we gave up two-thirds of the way through. Even if you are serving 4 people with this you will not need to serve much else.

I thought it could have used just a touch more spice. Maybe a little cumin and coriander in with the roasted veg, or perhaps a little rosemary, but we did enjoy it very much as it was. They say 30 minutes to roast the vegetables; I say, ha-ha good luck with that.

3 to 4 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


Cook the Lentils:
3/4 cup green or brown lentils
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups water

Put it all in your rice-cooker; turn on; cook.

OR you can do it on the stove if you really must, but why? Get a rice-cooker already.

Put it all in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover; simmer very gently until cooked - about 45 minutes. Check water level regularly.

Roast the Vegetables:
2 medium-large sweet potatoes
2 medium carrots
1 large red or pink onion
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Start preheating the oven to 400°F.

Wash, trim, and cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Peel and cut the carrots ditto; just a little smaller. Peel and sliver the onion.

Toss these in a 9" x 13" shallow roasting pan (large lasagne pan) with the oil and the seasonings. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring once in the middle. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Finish the Salad:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
75 grams (3 ounces) feta cheese
1 cup (60 grams; 2 ounces) sprouts or other microgreens
OR arugula (rocket) 

Mix the still-warm lentils in with the still-warm roasted vegetables, and drizzle with the oil and vinegar. Toss well.

Crumble the feta cheese over the salad, and mix in gently. Wash and dry the sprouts well, chopping them a little if they are large. Pull them apart (if required) and mix them into the salad as well. Transfer to a serving bowl or individual plates. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Roasted Parsnip & Carrot Kugel.

There are versions of this all over the place, probably all harking back to this one at Epicurious.  Hmm, I just now see they seasoned it with sage, which I didn't mention as a possibility mostly because most of my eaters are not big fans. (Dad hated it, but I don't have to worry about him any more.) But you could.

I also used my favourite biscuity crust, which may be a bit too crumbly for galette purposes and may explain the difficulties I had in forming it (see instructions). However it's still my favourite and I would rather eat it than a better-behaved one.

I'm also calling for all kinds of variations because this strikes me as extremely flexible, within the framework of squash-allium-cheese. In fact I am wondering about replacing the squash with sweet potato.

Pretty much all the recipes I looked at called for roasting the squash in advance. If you had some already roasted that would probably be ideal, but I had a chunk of raw squash I wanted to use up and I just grated it. It worked quite well so that is definitely a thing you can do. 

4 to 6 servings
1 hour 30 minutes - 30 minutes prep time
not including roasting the squash,
and you should let it cool a bit before serving


Make the Pastry:
2 cups soft unbleached flour (I used half whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk

Measure the flour and put it in a mixing bowl; stir in the baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter (or grate it in, if it's cold). Mix in the oil and buttermilk. Mix enough to form a smooth, stiff dough. I find it easiest to dump it out onto a piece of parchment paper and work it a bit. It is pastry though, so the less you can work it the better. As soon as it has come together, wrap it up in the parchment and set it aside as you make the filling.

Make the Filling & Finish:
500 grams (a generous pound) peeled and diced butternut squash, roasted
OR 450 grams (1 pound) peeled and grated butternut squash
1 large leek
OR 2 large onions, OR 6 to 8 shallots
2 tablespoons unsalted butter OR mild vegetable  oil
1 teaspoon savory, thyme, OR basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
flour to roll pastry
150 grams chevre (soft goat cheese) OR other cheese to taste


This is a good way to use up chunks of already roasted squash, aka left-overs (or plan-overs). If you are starting with raw squash - which is what I did - peel and grate it.

Wash, trim, and thinly slice the leek or other alliums of your choice. Put the butter in a medium skillet and heat over medium heat. Gently cook the leeks (etc) until softened and reduced in volume; if leeks do not let them brown; if onions or shallots they can brown a bit. Season with the herb of your choice and the salt and pepper. Add the leeks(etc) to the squash and mix in.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Roll the pastry out - on its sheet of parchment - into a neat circle. Dust it with plenty of flour  Place it on a large baking try.

Pile the vegetables in the middle of the pastry, layering them with slices of your cheese. If you opt to use a firmer cheese than the chevre, it may make sense to grate it and mix it with the vegetables, although I would reserve a few slices to put on the top.

At this point, and to make a true galette, you should neatly fold the edges up over the filling, leaving a bit of a gap in the middle. I have not made galette before, because I looked at pictures of other people's beautifully formed pastry, and said "Uh huh."

Indeed.

When it looked like working about as well as I expected (i.e. not) I hastily transferred it, parchment and all, to a 10" pie plate. There I was able to fold up the edges acceptably if not beautifully, and therein I baked the pie galette. I suppose I could have transferred it back the baking tray to let it go properly flat. Whatever.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes at 350°F. If you use already roasted squash I suspect the lower figure is the one to aim for; raw squash will take the full hour.




Last year at this time I made Ground Beef & Mushroom Stroganoff.