Broccoli “galette” sounds like it would taste better than broccoli cheese pie, and I have to say, it did! I think I first saw a recipe for a galette in our local food magazine EdibleWOW, and since then I’m sold. A galette is a free-form, rustic pie, either savory or sweet. I like that free-form part, i.e. no need to roll out a perfect circle, which I can never manage to do, or flute edges, or weave strips of dough. You typically get a crispier crust than when baking in a pie pan. For a savory galette such as this one, it worked well to use dough with olive oil, and while the dough rests for a bit, you can caramelize the onions.
For the dough: 2 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white flour), 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, and cold water.
The other ingredients:
1 very large onion or several small ones, sliced
4 or 5 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
16 oz frozen broccoli florets, mostly thawed
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 heaping T grated Parmesan
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
In a medium bowl, combine flour(s), oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup and a couple tablespoons cold water. With a fork, stir to combine. Knead dough 1 minute. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in lower third.
Meanwhile, while the dough rests, caramelize the onions. Trust me, it’s worth the time. No fear: just slice some onions, heat up some olive oil (or butter, or both) in a heavy, wide-bottomed pan, and cook the onions over medium or medium-low for about 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally, browning them all over, add a little water if they stick to the pan too much. Here is a great reference: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_caramelize_onions/
Roll out dough to something that approximates a 12 to 14-inch blob; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread goat cheese out across dough, leaving about a 2 inch border around the edges. Top goat cheese with caramelized onions.
If your broccoli florets aren’t quite thawed, run them under some water, drain in a colander, and give them a little squeeze. Everyone can use a little squeeze now and then.
Top the cheese & onions with the broccoli. Sprinkle red-pepper flakes and parmesan over the broccoli, then season with salt and pepper.
Fold dough border over filling. Brush the dough with egg. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
