Whenever I think of galettes, I think of my friend Henrietta Inman, who left London to set up Wakelyns bakery in Suffolk. Ever since she showed me how to make them, galettes have been my go-to when I need to whip up something impressive and beautiful, but also actually quite easy, and with a reasonably large margin for flexibility when it comes to ingredients and error, especially if, like me, you don’t consider yourself to be a particularly good pastry chef. Today’s recipe is a homage to some of my favourite greens: leeks, chives, pistachios and jalapeño chillies, to help usher in the New Year with a fresh dose of optimism.
Leek, pistachio and jalapeño galette
You’ll need a blender to make this.
Prep 10-15 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4
For the pastry
260g plain flour
130g cold unsalted vegan butter, cubed
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp whole oat milk
For the filling
500g leeks
150g pistachio kernels
2 fresh jalapeño chillies, very finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
100ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tbsp extra for frying
50g chives
Fine sea salt and black pepper
For the pastry, put the flour, butter and salt in a bowl and mix with your fingertips until it’s the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the oat milk and mix again until it all comes together into a dough – be confident and don’t be afraid to handle it. Put the pastry between two sheets of greaseproof paper and roll it out until it’s roughly 30-32cm in diameter. Put the pastry in fridge for 30 minutes to rest and firm up.
Meanwhile, prepare the leeks. Slice off and discard the rooty tops and any gnarly bottom bits from the leeks, then cut them into ¾cm-thick rounds. Put the sliced leeks in a large bowl, fill with cold water and stir around with your hands to release any dirt.
To make the filling, put the pistachios, half the chopped jalapeños, all the garlic, 100ml oil, 40g of the chives, roughly chopped (save the rest to finish the galette) and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt into a blender, then whizz to a medium textured paste.
Put the extra three tablespoons of oil in a wide nonstick pan on a medium heat. Once it’s hot, scoop a handful of sliced leeks out of the bowl, give them a shake to remove any excess water and add to the pan. Repeat with the remaining leeks, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until soft. Stir in the remaining chopped jalapeño and a quarter-teaspoon each of salt and ground black pepper, then take off the heat.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Take the pastry out of the fridge, peel off the top layer of baking paper and put the pastry and its paper base on a large oven tray. Spread the pistachio paste evenly over the top, and leaving a 4cm-wide border all around the edge. Top the pistachio mix with the soft leeks, then fold the sides of the pastry up and over the edge of the filling, and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden.
Very finely chop the remaining 10g chives, scatter over the top of the cooked galette and serve.