A freezer stash of puff pastry is great to have at your fingertips. It’s a canvas on which you can throw together ingredients to make a variety of meals without too much thought – ideal for using up leftover veg, meats, or fruit. These are two of my most-used ways that work served hot or cold, but preheating the baking sheet is key to getting a crisp bottom.
Tomato galette with basil chilli drizzle (pictured top)
This is my puff-pastry ode to a cheat’s pizza, and a brilliant way to use slightly soft tomatoes, or ones lacking in flavour. I love the word “galette” – it makes it sound terribly fancy, but really it is just a free-form tart, so the more rustic, the better. The salting of the tomatoes is an important step to avoid a soggy-bottomed pastry. You could, of course, use this as a base for other bits, such as leftover chicken or ham, or antipasti.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt
500g ripe tomatoes
1 x 400g block puff pastry, rolled into a rough 30cm circle on baking parchment
50g cheddar, grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1 egg, beaten
For the basil chilli drizzle
1 small pack basil
50ml olive oil
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Heat a baking sheet in the oven at 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.
In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil on medium-low and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft and sticky – about 20 minutes.
Slice the tomatoes into thin slices, pop on to a plate, salt generously and leave for five minutes or so, to allow the water to release.
Meanwhile, spread the caramelised onion over the pastry circle, leaving a 5cm border, then pile the salted tomatoes on top and sprinkle over the cheddar and oregano. Fold the border so it slightly overlaps the tomatoes, then brush the pastry edges with beaten egg. Pop on to the heated baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are softened and the pastry is golden.
For the drizzle, blitz together all the ingredients and season. Slice and serve the galette immediately, covered generously with the drizzle.
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