Butternut Squash & Caramelised Onion Galette

On Thanksgiving weekend we were lucky enough to get an invite up to our friends’ cottage — perfectly situated on a lake surrounded by beautiful falling orange, yellow, and red leaves, and smelling and feeling like Fall.

I was in charge of dinner one night, and wanted to make something “Thanksgiving-y” that wasn’t traditional Thanksgiving food, as there would be multiple Thanksgiving dinners that weekend — we didn’t need another one.  So I decided on something with butternut squash — a galette!

A galette is a rustic-style tart, baked freeform instead of in a tart pan.  I had to see if Clotilde’s Easy Olive Oil Tart Crust (which I now think I could make in my sleep) would work in a galette — and it did!

I used caramelised onions along with the butternut squash and some lovely fall herbs (sage and rosemary – mmm!), and it turned out so deliciously well.

I served it with my latest favourite salad: my Arugula Salad with Pickled Red Onions in a Lemony Vinaigrette with roasted chickpeas, and orange bell peppers.  What a great way to celebrate Fall!

Butternut Squash & Caramelised Onion Tart

Filling

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and sliced
  
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 1 stalk rosemary leaves, chopped

Whole Wheat Galette Dough

• 250 g (2 c.) whole wheat flour
• 2g (1/2 tsp.) sea salt
• 5g (1 tsp.) dried herbs (I used oregano & sage)
• 60 ml (1/4 c.) olive oil
• 120 ml (1/2 c.) cold water

Preheat oven to 425F.

On a large baking sheet lined with foil, lay out the sliced squash in a single layer and sprinkle with 1 tsp. sea salt, and drizzle with 1 Tbsp. olive oil.  Roast at 425F for around 30 minutes, until the squash is soft but not charred.

Once your squash is out of the oven, preheat oven to 375F.

While the squash is roasting, begin carmelising the onions: Over very low heat in a very large pan, sweat the onions in the oil until they become translucent.  Then keep going.  Don’t try to cheat and turn the heat up, you need to keep the heat low and the process slow to get the best flavour.  Keep the onions on the heat for about 45-60 minutes total, stirring occasionally.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and herbs with a fork.  Add the oil, and mix well.  Add the water, and mix with your hands until the dough forms a ball.

Flour your work surface lightly, and place your ball of dough onto your work surface.  Roll out the dough using a rolling pin into a circle around 28cm (11″) in diameter.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer your circle of dough onto the baking sheet.

Pile up your toppings (roasted squash, caramelised onions, sage, and rosemary) in the centre of the circle of dough, leaving free an edge of dough around 7cm (3″) in diameter.

Fold the edges of the extra dough over the topping.

Bake at 375F for 40 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.

Slice and serve with a gorgeous salad.