Xanthan gum is often used in gluten-free baking and thankfully now is much more widely available – look for it with the baking powders. The powder acts as a thickener and stabiliser, preventing ingredients from separating, mimicking properties ascribed to gluten.
This gluten-free galette is a great springtime alfresco meal. Containing all of your favourite veggies, courgettes, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and caramelised onions, plus olives, a pesto base and a feta topping, it's a celebration of all the Mediterranean has to offer, encased in a gluten-free pastry.
If you want to serve this as a more filling main course, serve alongside a new potato salad.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
35 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 10 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 45 mins
Cal/Serv:
518
Ingredients
For the gluten-free pastry
1Tbsp.
apple cider vinegar
250g
gluten- and wheat-free plain flour blend, we used Doves Farm, plus extra to dust
1tsp.
xanthan gum
1Tbsp.
freshly chopped rosemary
175g
butter, chilled and cubed
1
medium egg, beaten
For the caramelised onions
1Tbsp.
olive oil
2
red onions, finely sliced
1tsp.
brown sugar
2
thyme sprigs, leaves picked
For the filling
2
medium courgettes
1Tbsp.
olive oil
3Tbsp.
gluten-free pesto
100g
cherry tomatoes, halved
25g
sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
100g
ready-roasted red peppers, chopped
25g
pitted black olives
75g
feta
Directions
Step 1To make the pastry, mix the cider vinegar with 75ml cold water. Keep chilled until needed. In a food processor, pulse the flour, xanthan gum, rosemary and 1/2tsp fine salt until combined.
Step 2Next pulse in the butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (alternatively mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips). Add the vinegar mixture and pulse/mix until pastry comes together (it will be a little wetter than traditional pastry). Empty on to a work surface, bring together into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30min.
Step 3Meanwhile, make the caramelised onions. Heat oil in a large heavy-based pan with a lid over low heat. Gently fry onions and a pinch of salt, covered, for 15min, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add sugar and turn up heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden and caramelised. Remove from heat and stir in thyme and some seasoning.
Step 4Next, heat a griddle pan over high heat. Trim the courgettes then cut on the diagonal into 5mm thick slices. Toss the slices in the oil and some seasoning. Griddle in a single layer, in batches, until charred and tender. Set aside.
Step 5Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Roll out pastry on a large sheet of baking parchment to make a rough 35.5cm circle (dusting your rolling pin with extra flour if needed). Spread pesto into a rough 25.5cm circle in the middle, then top with the onions. Next, add the griddled courgettes, cherry and sun-dried tomatoes, peppers and olives. Sprinkle over the feta.
Step 6Fold in the pastry border over the filing. Transfer to a baking sheet (still on the parchment paper) and brush visible pastry with egg. Cook in oven for 35min until golden and crisp. Serve with a rocket salad.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
