A summertime galette with pattypan, zucchini’s cooler cousin.Julie Van Rosendaal/The Globe and Mail
Culinarily speaking, late summer is all about zucchini. Yes, tomatoes and corn are also a big deal when they’re at their very best, and the three go together famously. But zucchini is a few degrees more versatile, able to be transformed into muffins and brownies, hummus and fritters. Its mellow flavour pairs well with just about any ingredient in your kitchen; texturally it’s juicy enough to add moisture to a cake, but has the ability to crisp up on the grill, or be battered and fried. When zucchini is so congenial, it’s a shame that pattypan, a nearly identical thin-skinned summer squash, can be so confusing.
Pattypan are essentially spaceship-shaped zucchini, which should make them infinitely more appealing. Their smaller size makes them ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to commit to an entire zucchini – one pattypan can be grated into pancake or quick-bread batter, or turned into dinner for one. Yes, you eat them skin and all. They come in shades of green, yellow and white, much like zucchini and its other summer squash cousins, such as crookneck and zephyr. They’re here now, they’re adorable and they should not be shied away from – think of them as zucchini, only cooler.
Pattypan Galette
Pattypan squash also resemble a kind of cartoon space flower – when you slice them crosswise, their cross-section has scalloped edges. They make a delicious galette, with or without a layer of soft cheese, such as ricotta or goat, or some pesto or olive tapenade spread on the pastry underneath.
Pastry:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter or shortening
- 1/3 cup cold water
Filling:
- 1/2-1 cup ricotta or soft crumbled goat cheese, or 1/4-1/2 cup pesto or olive tapenade (optional)
- Grated lemon zest (optional)
- 1 garlic clove, finely crushed (optional)
- 2-3 pattypan squash, sliced crosswise about 1/4-inch thick
- Olive or other vegetable oil
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
To make the pastry, put the flour and salt in a medium bowl and either grate in the butter (shortening will be too soft to) or slice it in with a paring knife, or cut it into bits. Rub it into the flour with a fork or your fingers, until it’s almost blended in, with pieces remaining about the size of a blueberry. Add the water and stir just until the dough comes together; shape into a disc, cover and let rest for at least 20 minutes. (The dough can also be made up to this point and refrigerated for up to a few days, or frozen for up to several months.)
When you’re ready to make your galette, preheat the oven to 400 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out – I do it directly on a silicone mat for easy transfer to the baking sheet – to about 14 inches in diameter, not worrying about it being perfectly round or more oval. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
If you’re using ricotta, stir in some grated lemon zest and a finely crushed garlic clove, if you like. Spread the ricotta or goat cheese, or pesto or olive tapenade over the pastry, leaving an inch or two bare around the edge.
Lay your slices of pattypan in concentric circles overtop, or layer them haphazardly – however you want to do it. Fold the edge of the pastry up to enclose the filling around the edge, letting it fold wherever it wants to.
Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes; pull it out on the oven rack and grate Parmesan cheese overtop, then return to the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden all over. Serve immediately, with extra Parmesan if you like, or serve it at room temperature or cold.
Serves about eight.