A few years ago, ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, I wanted to try making a savory escarole tart using the basic galette dough. The galette is a type of French tart made with very little fat and can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients — an excellent substitute for much fattier doughs like puff pastry or pâte brisée.
The dough is rolled out very thinly and instead of being placed in a pan with sides, it is rolled out directly on parchment paper and the edge of the dough is roughly folded over the filling. The final appearance is that of a savory pizza with a very rustic look, and the preparation is very simple.
With this dough I have already made other sweet and savory galettes, but I couldn’t resist trying the filling of a Neapolitan Christmas classic: escarole dressed with olives and capers. In my opinion it’s a great alternative to the classic escarole pizza: lighter but with all the flavor of the traditional version.
So this vegan savory tart is great to serve all year round and especially for the holidays. If used as an appetizer you can also make it rectangular so it can be cut into perfect little squares for a buffet. Let’s see how I made it.
Other recipes using this dough:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 4 or 8 slices
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (or spelt flour)
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 1/2 tbsp vegan butter (light)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp cold water (cold, can be mineral)
- 2 Escarole with olives and capers (2 servings prepared with the following ingredients:)
- 18 oz escarole (smooth or curly)
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (measuring teaspoon (about 5 ml))
- 2 cloves garlic
- 12 Gaeta olives
- 1 tbsp capers (salted)
- 2 tsp pine nuts (about 10)
- to taste fine salt
- to taste water
- to taste coarse salt
- Total points = 34 WW points
- Points per snack when divided into 8 slices, 1 slice = 4 WW points
- Points as main course when divided into 4 slices, 1 slice = 8 WW points
Tools
- Bowl
- Rolling pin
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
- Spatula
Steps
Using the indicated ingredients, prepare the recipe for escarole with olives and capers, omitting the final teaspoon of oil which is not necessary for our tart.
The escarole should be even drier than when prepared as a side dish, so let it cook long enough.
It’s also very important to chop the escarole into small pieces or it will be hard to bite into a slice of tart: I tried it myself, trust me and chop it into small bits — it’s better!
Let the escarole cool before filling the tart.
Mix the flour and salt, add the cold refrigerated butter broken into pieces and mix with a fork, then add the oil and continue mixing until the texture becomes sandy.
Pour in two tablespoons of cold water (also from the fridge) and start kneading with your hands. Add more cold water one tablespoon at a time until the dough becomes well compact.
Work it a very short time with your hands on the counter and then form a slightly flattened ball.
Preheat the oven to 392°F (200°C) before continuing. Put the dough on a sheet of parchment paper and begin to flatten it into a disk with the rolling pin.
The dough should be rolled as thin as possible. It’s not hard but it takes a little patience and elbow grease.
With this amount you can get a disk of about 14 inches (35-36 cm) in diameter.
Transfer the parchment paper to a baking sheet or a sufficiently large oven tray. Pour the escarole and distribute it over the dough disk leaving about 3/4 inch (about 2 cm) empty all around the edge.
Fold the edge of the dough over the filling, gently pressing the little folds so they adhere well to each other. Lightly wet the entire edge with a little water and press some coarse salt grains onto it so they stick.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven at 392°F (200°C). After about 20 minutes open and check: if the escarole looks already very browned, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil leaving the edge exposed. At the end of baking the dough edge should be slightly golden and crisp. If you want it more browned, put it under the grill for a few minutes.
Transfer the tart with the parchment paper still attached to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 15-20 minutes before transferring it to the serving plate.
For this final operation, first detach it from the parchment paper along the entire edge and then, with the help of a spatula, release the center and slide it from the parchment paper directly onto a sufficiently large plate.
And here it is ready to be sliced: the vegan escarole savory tart can be enjoyed warm or cold. As with other galettes, the end result is a soft filling inside a crispy crust: truly delicious.
You can prepare it round as in my photos — well, mine wasn’t perfectly round — and cut it into 8 slices as a snack or light second course, or into 4 quarters for a more substantial meal. You can also make it rectangular and cut it into squares.
And for Christmas it will really be an excellent alternative to the classic escarole pizza but certainly with many fewer points. I’m waiting for your feedback: at home I’ve made it three times and it was literally devoured.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
If you have leftovers or want to prepare it in advance, you can keep this savory escarole tart in a container at room temperature for a couple of days. I haven’t tried freezing it but I believe it can be done; then reheat it for a few minutes in a preheated oven at 428°F (220°C).
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What can I use instead of butter?
Butter is better for making cookies and flaky doughs because it gives a crumbly texture that you don’t get using only oil. But if you prefer to avoid it you can make this dough with only oil, starting with 1-2 tablespoons instead of the butter and then proceeding as in the recipe. Be sure to recalculate Weight Watchers points considering the oil used.
Can I use a different vegetable?
Certainly you can: spinach, black cabbage (cavolo nero), Swiss chard sautéed in a pan like the escarole. But please: make sure the vegetables are very well dried before proceeding to the filling.
