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Kale Galette with Yogurt Crust (Χορτόπιτα με Φύλλο Γιαουρτιού)
Serves 8 as a main course or 12 as an appetizer
When you have a large crop of kale or other greens (wild greens are my favorite), Kale Galette with an easy to roll Yogurt Crust is a reliably delicious recipe. Yogurt gives the crust a nice tang, sweet currants and onions complement green’s earthiness, while salty feta and spicy Aleppo pepper add flavor accents. If you can’t find semolina flour, check in the Bob’s Red Mill section of your grocery store or order from Amazon using the below link. If you still don’t have semolina flour, make this with 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; the flavor and texture will be fine, what you’ll lose is a little bit of crunch.
Any greens, wild or domesticated, may be substituted for kale; if you use tender greens such as spinach or chard, cook them in the boiling water for only 30 seconds (kale takes longer because it’s so sturdy). Greek yogurt is thicker than regular American yogurt because much of the liquid has been strained out. If Greek yogurt isn’t available, you can strain your own yogurt (see Note below). You may also substitute a smaller amount of unstrained yogurt (less is needed because it’s more watery), however, the pastry will be flakier if you use strained yogurt. Although whole milk Greek yogurt makes the best crust, I’ve also made it successfully with nonfat Greek yogurt. The recipe may easily be cut in half; or you can make the full pastry recipe, freezing half for a later day, and then halve the filling recipe.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1/4 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. butter (1 1/2 sticks/170 grams), cold
3/4 cup (6 ounces) Greek (strained) plain yogurt, or 1/2-3/4 cup unstrained plain yogurt
1 egg
Filling:
3 bunches kale (about 8 ounces each), 10 ounces cooked kale, or any wild or domesticated greens
2 cups diced yellow onions, 1/2” dice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper or 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup (8 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup dried currants
2 eggs
Make Crust Dough: Whir flours and salt together in food processor. Cut butter into chunks, add to food processor, and pulse until butter is mostly combined with flour, but a few pea-sized pieces remain. (You can also cut butter into flour with two knives or a pastry blender.) Add yogurt and egg and pulse to combine. Dump dough out onto piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and form into solid disk. Wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. (Dough can be made ahead several days, or may also be frozen for several months and thawed when ready to use.)
Make Filling: Wash kale leaves in cold water. Strip leaves from stems (discard stems or save them for another use, such as stock, soup, or smoothies). Bring large pot of salted water to rolling boil, and fill sink or large bowl with very cold water and tray of ice cubes. Stir kale leaves into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, or until kale is tender. Remove kale from boiling water and plunge into ice water. Stir gently; when kale is cool, put it in colander and squeeze out excess water. Roughly chop cooked kale and put in large mixing bowl. Fluff up kale with your hands, separating kale pieces as best you can.
Sauté onion, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in olive oil until it softens and begins to turn golden. Stir in Aleppo pepper and minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add onions, oil, and seasonings to bowl with kale, along with feta cheese, currants, and eggs. Stir all ingredients together, making sure they’re well combined.
Assemble Galette: Remove dough from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed half sheet pan (18” x 13” baking sheet) with parchment paper.
On a well-floured pastry cloth, roll out dough into an oval approximately 20” x 15”. (If you cut recipe in half, roll into 13” circle.) Trim off any uneven edges. Move dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Dump filling onto dough, and evenly spread it out over dough using back of spoon or spatula, and making sure to leave 2” border all the way around filling. Fold edges of dough up over filling, pleating as you go so dough will lay flat around curves.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned. (If you cut recipe in half, bake for 35-40 minutes.) Serve immediately or at room temperature. Leftovers make a delicious breakfast (and are what I’m eating right now, making my touchpad only slightly greasy).
NOTE: To strain yogurt for recipe, start with 1 1/4 cups unstrained plain yogurt. Line colander with paper towels. Dump yogurt into lined colander and let liquid drain out of yogurt for 60 minutes.