Spring Vegetable and Chicken Galette

Farmers' markets and, indeed, even the supermarket, are brimming with fresh, ripe spring vegetables: asparagus, carrots, scallions, greens!  Who can resist those elegant, haughty spears, standing so attentively and looking almost scandalously vibrant?  Or freshly harvested carrots with their comic tops and tiny bits of earth still clinging to them?  Yes, spring is definitely a wonderful time for people who love, and insist on, fresh foods (preferably from local sources).  

image courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

With an abundance of fresh vegetables at hand, and feeling a little creative, I started pondering on some interesting way to combine them.  There is of course always the hearty, fulfilling quiche.  And I've no shortage of eggs to tackle that one.  But I wanted something a little lighter, yet, not another stir-fry (as much as I love them).

A great solution I decided, was a galette.  I know, you're used to filling a galette with all kinds of yummy autumnal sweetness, like apples, pears, cranberries.  But a galette makes a beautiful and delicious package for a savory filling as well.  Exactly what I had in mind.  So I started surfing, hitting some favorite web sites and cookbooks for ideas.  I found a recipe for an asparagus-tofu stir fry over at 101 Cookbooks that almost derailed my plans for the galette; it looked so fresh and delicious.  What I ultimately settled on is a hodgepodge of ideas that started with a tart in one of my cookbooks and this galette over at the Smitten Kitchen.  

I have a recipe for galette dough that I've relied on for quite some time, happy with the results every time.  But Deb at Smitten Kitchen has a dough recipe that sounded wonderful, and definitely worth a go.  I was excited about the sour cream and lemon juice in the dough.  I used her recipe, but changed the preparation procedure somewhat.  It turned out really delicious: a nice, soft, stretchy dough that baked into a light, delicate pastry.  I think I may be sticking with it for a while.

Spring Vegetable, Caramelized Onion and Chicken Galette

Pastry: adapted from The Smitten Kitchen 

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
I used a mixture of white and whole wheat pastry flours) 

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) ice-cold butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water 

In the bowl of a food processor, blend flour and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Don't over-process or the dough will be tough.

Remove flour-butter mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center.  Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, and water until smooth and well blended.  

Add about half of the liquid to the well in the flour and mix gently with the points of a fork just to combine.  Add the remaining liquid and mix gently with the fork until lumps begin to stick together. Then, using fingers, gather the dough lumps and press together.  Again, don't overwork the dough.

When all the dough is gathered together, pat gently into a ball.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour (I was impatient [and late getting dinner on] and only let it chill for about 40 minutes and it still turned out beautifully).  

While the dough chills, prepare the filling.

Filling: 

½ pound asparagus spears, trimmed & rinsed (about 8-10 spears) 

3 medium carrots, peeled & trimmed 

3 scallions, chopped 

1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme 

1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano 

1 tsp. fine sea salt 

1 large yellow onion 

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided 

1 Tbs. Butter 

1 Tbs. water 

2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (or bone-in; just makes more prep work in cooking) 

2 tsp peppercorns 

2 bay leaves 

¾ cup shredded farmhouse, white, or english cheddar, divided

Bring a medium-large pot of water to boil.  Add cleaned chicken pieces, peppercorns, and bay leaves.  Cook for 10 – 15 minutes, or until cooked through.  Discard bay leaves and peppercorns.  Remove to a cutting board and cool.  When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken using two forks, pulling in opposite directions across the grain of the meat.  Cover and set aside.

While the chicken is cooking, cut asparagus spears into approximate ½ inch pieces.  Slice carrots in half lengthwise, then again in quarters.  Chop into a medium dice or approximately ¼ inch cubes (like those freakishly uniform sized frozen ones in the supermarket).  Slice the scallions in rounds, using both white and green portions.

Slice the onion into thin half-rounds of about ¼ inch and caramelize while your vegetables are cooking.  Stir occasionally and cook until soft and golden.  You can use this method if you're not sure.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  When the pan is hot, add 1 Tbs. of  the olive oil.  Season the carrots and asparagus with sea salt and saute until just tender.  About 1 minute before they are done, add the chopped thyme and oregano and stir well to combine.  Remove cooked vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Now, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

When the vegetables and chicken are ready, begin assembling your galette.  Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a well floured sheet or parchment paper.  Beginning in the center of the dough ball and using the palm of your hand, gently pat it out toward the edges to form a rough circle.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to form a 12 inch circle.  Once your circle s formed, transfer the parchment paper to baking sheet.  You can bake your galette right on the parchment paper, or if you prefer, flip it over (carefully!) onto the un-greased baking sheet.

Leaving a 1 1/2 inch space around the edge of your dough, layer the chicken,  ½ of the cheese, vegetables, onions, and remaining cheese evenly in the center. 

 
Carefully fold the edge of the dough inward, pinching and crimping it together as you go to form a pocketed edge.  Your galette will look like a pie whose crust was too large and fell in over the rim.

You can brush the edges lightly with milk (to help it turn a lovely golden brown) or leave it as is.  Season to taste with additional salt and/or freshly ground pepper.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes (mine took a bit longer, but my oven is crap) or until cheese is bubble and lightly browned.

Let stand a few minutes before cutting.  Serves 4 – 6, depending on how hungry you are!