Galette — A Rustic Thing Made With Care When the Week Finally Ends

Real estate waits for no one. I showed 9 houses this week in neighborhoods where the asking prices climb like the temperature. Every showing is a conversation about what home means. Every key I hand over is a story beginning.

Sunday dinner at Mama's was the usual controlled chaos. Mama made keftedes and it was, as always, extraordinary. The table held fourteen people. The arguments held more opinions than the chairs held bodies. This is how Greek families communicate: loudly, with food, over each other.

I am 49 years old and I have learned that life is not a straight line from A to B. It is a moussaka — layers of different things, some planned, some accidental, all held together by heat and time and the stubborn refusal to fall apart.

I made chicken souvlaki wraps tonight — marinated, grilled, wrapped in warm pita with tzatziki. Thirty minutes from fridge to table. Greek fast food. We ate at the kitchen table, just the three of us, and for a moment the house was not quiet or loud — it was exactly right. Full. Fed. The sound of forks on plates is the sound I love most in this world.

The olive oil in my kitchen is from a Greek import shop in Tampa that sources from Kalamata. It is expensive. It is worth it. I use it on everything — salads, fish, bread, vegetables, the edge of a pot of soup — because olive oil is not a condiment in this family, it is a philosophy. Use it generously. Use it without apology. Use it the way you use love: poured freely, never measured, always more than you think you need.

I talk a lot about layers — moussaka, families, the neighborhoods I drive through all week — and a galette is exactly that: a thing built in layers, folded imperfectly, baked until it holds together on its own terms. After the souvlaki and the noise and the fourteen people around Mama’s table, I wanted something I had to make slowly, with my hands in dough, the kind of cooking that makes the kitchen smell like a decision. A galette doesn’t need to be perfect. That, right now, is exactly what I need to hear.

Galette

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 3–4 tablespoons ice water
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini or summer squash
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. Add cold butter cubes and work them into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
2. Add water. Drizzle in ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork it. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Prepare the filling. Toss sliced zucchini and cherry tomatoes with olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
5. Roll and assemble. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a rough 12-inch circle — it does not need to be perfect. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Spread Dijon mustard over the surface, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the vegetables over the mustard layer, then scatter feta over the top.
6. Fold the edges. Fold the border of dough up and over the filling, pleating gently as you go. Brush the folded crust with beaten egg.
7. Bake. Bake for 32–38 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the vegetables are tender and beginning to color at the edges. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 380mg