I’m a carbo-holic, and I’m not ashamed of it. I’ve declared my love for carbs many times on this blog, with posts like this one and this one. But, when I’m pregnant, my love for carbs is so overwhelming that I want every post (in addition to everything I eat) to be pizza, pasta, bread roll or the like.

So yes, I am pregnant now (if you didn’t get the hint above), and my days are filled with all sorts of delicious flour-filled delights. When it comes to dinners, somehow I’m almost always in the mood for pizza, but almost always never have the energy (or willpower) to make and wait for the pizza dough to rise.

The galette is the perfect solution to my pregnant dilemma. It’s completely ready to eat in just the amount of time it would take for pizza dough to rise, and you can really use any fresh vegetables and cheese combo you have in the house, or you can make just veg or just cheese. There are no rules with a galette which is what I love about it.

We decided to incorporate fresh garlic into these recipes- using it in the dough and also as a topping itself. Fresh garlic is widely available in markets all over Israel now and its potent taste is nowhere comparable to the imported garlic which is available all year round. The fresh garlic in its shape and beautiful purple tones reminds me so much of another one of natures gifts of spring- the peony.

Garlic Galette Dough

Ingredients for two individual galettes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoons salt

1¼ sticks (5 oz.) butter, very cold, and cubed

1 egg

3 tablespoons cold water

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

Preparation:

1. Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse the dough until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Add the egg, water and garlic and continuing pulsing until dough is formed. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and continue to knead the dough for another minute or so, until a ball of dough is formed. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a half hour before using.

For the Toppings:

Spinach, Zuchinni and Ricotta Galette

Ingredients for one galette:

1½ tablespoons olive oil

3 cups fresh spinach, blanched and drained

1 large zucchini, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¼ cup fresh ricotta

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Remove dough from fridge.
2. Working on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 7-inch/18 cm. circle, about ⅛-inch/½-cm thick. Place dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Brush dough with olive oil. Leaving about a 1-inch/2½ cm. border around the edges, evenly sprinkle on blanched spinach, zucchini and garlic cloves. Top with fresh ricotta, salt and fresh ground pepper.
4. Fold the border of dough inwards, pinching the edges to make sure they are sealed.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the crust is golden.

Zucchini, Tomato and Sheep Cheese Galette

Ingredients for one galette:

1½ tablespoons olive oil

1 large zucchini, thinly sliced

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

½ head of honey roasted garlic (see recipe below)

¼ cup fresh sheep/goat cheese

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Remove dough from fridge.
2. Working on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 7-inch/18 cm. circle, about ⅛-inch/½-cm thick. Place dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Brush dough with olive oil. Leaving about a 1-inch/2½ cm. border around the edges, evenly sprinkle on the sliced zucchini, tomatoes, and roasted garlic. Top with fresh sheep or goat cheese, salt and pepper.
4. Fold the border of dough inwards, pinching the edges to make sure they are sealed.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the crust is golden.

Honey Roasted Garlic

-Cover an entire head of garlic (with the skin) with aluminum foil, leaving just the top open. Pour inside one tablespoon olive oil, one teaspoon honey and a little salt. Close tightly with the aluminum foil and place in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until completely softened.