TOMATO, CARAMELISED ONION & RED PESTO GALETTE

a chic summer dinner

If my whole personality could be a ripe summer tomato, sprinkled with a little flaky salt, it would be. My Grandad David was known to take a large tomato, take a bite, dip it in salt and continue eating that way until it was gone. The guy knew what was up. I tend to avoid eating fresh tomatoes in winter and autumn because in the UK they taste of very little, watery disappointments, posing as the best fruit of all time. There is untold pleasure in waiting eight months to have your first taste of a summer tomato in May and I just *live* for it. This isn’t to say I don’t eat anything with tomato the rest of the year, I just focus on preserved varieties such as tinned, passata, sun-dried and confited.

Upon finding the first summer tomatoes at the greengrocer, the first thing you should do, is cut one open, sprinkle it with a little flaky salt, maybe a drop of olive oil and eat it in one go. The second thing you should do is make this galette. It really does come together in a pinch, you can go the whole hog and make your own pesto and pastry, or lean on store bought ingredients for a speedy weeknight winner dinner. There is something so visually chic and impressive about a galette that belies its simplicity and make for a great dinner party moment, or even a picnic addition. As ever I encourage you to customise this recipe to suit your tastes and needs, you can caramelise any colour onion or shallot, you can use any type of pesto or tapenade, the one thing I will insist on is the tomatoes.

I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of summer: the longer days and shorter nights, the early morning sunshine and the possibility it holds. London feels like it has come alive again and there is hope once more.

Sending love, Rosie x

TOMATO, CARAMELISED ONION & RED PESTO GALETTE

The flakiest pastry, smothered in red pesto, then a layer of sweet caramelised onions, followed by a showering of freshly grated parmesan and topped with thinly sliced tomatoes - aka - THE DREAM. As I said, you can go for shop bought pastry and pesto to make this a very quick and easy dinner. The onions take a little time to completely cook down but you can speed that up on a higher heat if you really need to. We served this with a greek salad which easily fed four of us for dinner, but you could serve as a lighter lunch for six if you wanted to. I love nothing more than to see when you make my recipes, so plz send me your galette pics ! It always makes my week <3

For the pastry:

230g strong white bread flour

1 tsp sea salt

235g cold unsalted butter, cubed 

80g iced water

OR 500g pre-made short crust pastry

For the filling:

4 x white onions

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

0.5 tsp black pepper

8 ripe, juicy, medium tomatoes

3 tbsp red pesto

50g parmesan, finely grated

1 egg, beaten too egg wash the pastry

1. To make the pastry, combine the flour, salt and butter, rubbing in the butter until it resembles wet sand, a few larger chunks of butter are good, this helps with achieving a flaky texture.

2. Gradually add the iced water, mixing until it forms a shaggy dough. Continue to knead until you it just comes together into a cohesive dough. Press into a disc, a few inches thick, wrap tightly and chill in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight is best if you can plan far enough in advance!)

3. Melt the butter in a large shallow pan over a medium heat, add the onions, salt and pepper and cook down for at least 30 minutes, or until they are soft, jammy and translucent, stirring occasionally to stop from catching. You can keep cooking them on a low heat for up to 45 minutes to achieve an even sweeter caramelised onion if you have the time.

4. Slice the tomatoes thinly, arrange in a single layer on top of a few sheets of kitchen paper and sprinkle with a pinch of salt, this will draw out a lot of the moisture and help to maintain a crispy bottom to your pastry. Set aside until you are ready to assemble.

5. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 220c (430f).

6. Take the pastry out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for 10 minutes.

7. Roll the disc of pastry into a large circle, at least two inches wider than a dinner plate.

8. Transfer the pastry to a lined baking tray and press a dinner plate, face down into the middle of your pastry circle, you will build the galette within this indent.

9. Start by spreading an even layer of pesto, then add the onions in an even layer, then half the grated parmesan and finish with the salted sliced tomatoes.

10. Fold the overhanging pastry around the filling, making little pleats as you go.

11. Brush all the visible pastry with the egg wash and bake for 30 minutes in the middle of the oven.

12. Allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes and then top with the remaining grated parmesan, slice and serve!