Cabbage & Mushroom Galette

By garciamoss

In this gorgeous vegetarian galette recipe, caramelized cabbage, earthy mushrooms and salty queso fresco (a soft, fresh Mexican cheese also known as queso blanco) are layered and wrapped within a peppery, flaky pastry crust. For an easy lunch or dinner, serve this rustic tart with a simple green salad tossed with a sherry vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• Pastry Dough:
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour (see Tips)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons cold low-fat milk
• Filling:
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
• 1/2 head Savoy cabbage (1-1 1/4 pounds), very thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 portobello mushroom caps (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or Marsala (see Tips)
• 4 ounces crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese

Details

Adapted from eatingwell.com

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare pastry dough: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it starts bubbling, cook, stirring and watching carefully so it doesn’t burn, until golden brown, 2 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a metal bowl and refrigerate until solid again, 25 to 30 minutes.
Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor. Pulse once or twice to mix. Cut the butter and cream cheese into pieces; add and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add canola oil and pulse until it looks like wet sand. Add milk and pulse until small clumps form.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and press into a ball, then press the ball into a disk about 8 inches wide. Wrap in the parchment and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day before rolling out.
To prepare filling: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions; cook, stirring, until translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add cabbage and 1/2 teaspoon salt (if necessary, add half the cabbage and cook it down for a minute or two before adding the rest). Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until greatly reduced and golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Season with a dash of pepper.
Meanwhile, scrape gills from mushroom caps; cut the caps into 1-inch pieces. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in another large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, thyme and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add sherry (or Marsala); cook, stirring, until it cooks away, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms to the cabbage.
Preheat oven 400°F.
To roll out pastry: Dust a sheet of parchment paper, and the dough, with flour. Roll the dough out into a 15-inch circle. Go slowly and if it cracks just press the pieces together. Dust with flour as needed and keep the circle as even as you can, but don’t worry about rough edges.
To assemble & bake: Spread the cabbage-mushroom mixture over the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border. Use the parchment to lift the edges of the pastry and fold loosely over the filling in 2- or 3-inch sections. It may crack as you fold it, but that’s fine. Transfer the galette, parchment and all, onto a baking sheet. Trim off overhanging parchment.
Bake the galette for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with queso fresco. Continue baking until the cheese is melted and the pastry is lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Let cool at least 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Lift parchment and galette onto a platter; slide the parchment out. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate pastry dough for up to 1 day or freeze airtight for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling.

Tips:
White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat flour. It is available at large supermarkets and natural-foods stores and online at bobsredmill.com or kingarthurflour.com. Store it in the freezer.
Marsala, a fortified wine from Sicily, is a flavorful addition to many sauces. Don’t use the “cooking Marsala” sold in many supermarkets—it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, purchase Marsala that’s sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store. An opened bottle can be stored in a cool, dry place for months.