Sweet caramelized onions, earthy and colorful rainbow chard, and pillows of vegan ricotta are enveloped in a blanket of flaky crust. This rustic gluten free and vegan galette is perfect as a showstopping main dish!
Rainbow chard is one of the very first vegetables I fell in love with when I started dipping my toes into the food photography realm. I mean, just look at those vibrant stems! It’s come to my attention recently that some people like to cut off and discard the stems of their chard. And I suppose my response is a really loud and partially angry “WHY?!”. The stems are delightfully crunchy, sort of like an earthy version of celery. Upon learning this vegetable blasphemy, I figured it was time to share a recipe using both the leaves AND the stems. And hopefully, it will encourage you to begin doing the same!
Where I live, rainbow chard is a spring and fall/winter vegetable. I grow it in my garden during winter and spring because I love to eat it and admire its colorful stems. As the temperatures warm up, I love using the soft leaves to make wraps (recipe here!). This spring, I wanted to do something special with my rainbow chard. Something to celebrate its lovely flavor and colors. Thus, this galette was born! I paired sauteed rainbow chard leaves and stems with caramelized spring onions, thyme, and dollops of vegan ricotta in my trusty gluten free/vegan pie crust. Pair slices of the galette with a side of roasted carrots and fennel or a side salad and you have a delightful spring meal.
Before we head to the recipe, I know it looks long and tedious at first glance. But, you can totally take a shortcut and use a store-bought pie crust if you like. While none of the steps in this recipe are complicated, they do take a bit of time from start to finish. So, I recommend making this galette on a day where you have some extra time to putter around the kitchen.
Rainbow Chard Galette with Caramelized Spring Onions
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Sweet caramelized onions, earthy and colorful rainbow chard, and pillows of vegan ricotta are enveloped in a blanket of flaky crust. This rustic gluten free and vegan galette is perfect as a showstopping main dish!
Ingredients
for the pastry:
- 180g gluten free baking flour mix such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, plus more as needed to roll out the dough
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (omit if your butter is salted)
- 120g cold vegan butter, diced
- 60g ice cold water, plus more as needed
for the galette filling:
- 2–3 spring onions or 1 standard sweet onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- sea salt to taste
- 1 bunch of rainbow chard
- 6 oz vegan (or standard) ricotta cheese
for presentation & garnish:
- non-dairy milk or an egg wash for brushing the crust before baking, optional
- fresh thyme leaves, optional
Instructions
Make your pastry first. Add the flour and salt to a bowl, mixing to combine. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingers, a fork, or a pastry blender, begin to rub the butter into the flour. Once the pieces of butter are the size of a pea or smaller, and the mixture looks coarse and sandy, add your ice water. Mix the water in with a wooden spoon. Once the dough begins to come together, knead it a few times with your hands. If it seems a bit too dry, add a splash or two more of the ice water. Pat the dough into a round about 1-inch thick, wrap it in parchment or plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge. Allow it to chill for at least 30 minutes.
While the crust is chilling, you can start on the filling. Cut each onion in half, removing and discarding the stem end. Cut each half into thin slices. Set a skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Once the oil is to temperature, add the sliced onion, the dried thyme, and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Cook the onions over medium low, stirring every minute or two, until they have turned golden and caramelized. This will take about 20-30 minutes total. Once the onions are ready, put them in a bowl to cool and return the skillet to the stove over medium low heat.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. While the oil heats up, remove the stems from your bunch of chard. Chop the stems into thin slices and set them aside. Roughly chop the leaves and set them aside. Add the chopped stems to your skillet and sauté them just until they’ve softened (about 3-5 minutes) then add the chopped chard leaves. Sauté this mixture for an additional 2-3 minutes to allow the leaves to wilt. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Once your chard and caramelized onions have cooled down (you don’t want them hot or they will melt the butter in the pastry), remove your dough and your vegan ricotta from the fridge. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Get out a standard baking sheet. Cut a piece of parchment paper that is roughly the same size and place it down on your work surface. Alternately, you can do this with a reusable silicone baking mat if you like. Dust the parchment lightly with flour, then unwrap the dough and place it on the flour. Roll the dough out to a round shape that is about 1/8-inch thick and 10 inches wide. Arrange the cooled onions in an even layer on the dough, leaving about a 1 to 1 1/2-inch border. Dollop about half of your vegan ricotta over the onions. Then, cover the onions and ricotta with the cooled chard. Add the remaining dollops to the top of the chard.
Begin to fold up the edges of the crust over the filling. If the crust cracks, you can always pinch it back together. Once you’ve folded up all of the edges over the filling, carefully transfer the sheet of parchment with the galette to your baking sheet. Chill the galette in the fridge for 15-20 minutes (this helps to ensure the flaky crust and keeps the butter from immediately leaking out of the pastry!).
If you want, you can brush the crust with non-dairy milk or an egg wash before baking to ensure it gets nice and golden. Bake your galette in your preheated 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves if you like!
Notes
- To save on time, you can use a store-bought pie crust or you can make the dough the day before and keep it in the fridge. You can also make the filling components the day before and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble.
- You can use leeks in place of the spring onions/sweet onion if you like
- If you eat dairy, you can use regular ricotta and butter in the recipe
- If chard isn’t available to you or in season where you are, you can use kale.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 75-80 minutes
Leave a Reply