Spring Vegetable, Harissa and Mascarpone Galette
Harissa, a North African spice blend, and mascarpone, an ultra-rich and creamy cheese, are an uncommon pair. But bear with me: they are made for each other.
My journey with harissa and mascarpone is long and storied. It all began on a busy Wednesday evening when I didn't know what to have for dinner. I ran to a local bakery to see what I could find. After browsing for a few minutes, a little jar labeled "traditional harissa spread" caught my eye. I had heard of harissa but hadn't tried it before, so I thought why not? and bought it along with a loaf of sourdough.
When I got home, I popped open the harissa jar and scooped a little of it onto a spoon for a taste test. My mouth almost caught on fire. I knew I couldn’t handle this spice on its own without breaking a sweat, so I opened the fridge to look for a toast-topping companion for my new spicy friend. My choices were almond butter or mascarpone. I tried one almond-butter + harissa toast and one mascarpone + harissa toast. Both were delicious, but the mascarpone and harissa combo became a new staple in my kitchen. The heat and spice from the harissa complement the creamy dreaminess of mascarpone perfectly. After this toast incident, I found myself dipping crackers into mascarpone and harissa regularly, just waiting for the inspiration to make a full dish out of it.
The arrival of springtime veggies was inspiration enough to turn my mascarpone and harissa dreams into a reality. The freshness of the veggies delightfully rounds out the harissa's spice and the mascarpone's richness. Throw a flaky galette crust into the mix and this dish will keep you coming back for more.
Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!
Time: 3 hours
Makes: 1 galette
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients
Crust
(Courtesy of Bon Appetit)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter
1/4 cup ice water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Filling
1 cup mascarpone
Zest from 1/2 a large lemon
1 tablespoon harissa, more or less to taste
Harissa is a spice blend originating in North Africa, but you can find local varieties in the U.S. Each harissa paste or harissa blend is a little different, so you may need to adjust the quantity. My harissa was a mixture of minced sun-dried pimentos, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, coriander and caraway seeds in olive oil.
1/2 teaspoon salt
About 5 large or 10 small stalks asparagus
About 5 large or 10 small fingerling potatoes
1 small fennel bulb
About 6 Easter egg radishes
Steps
Whisk together the flours and salt in a medium bowl. Cut your cold butter into small cubes and then add them to the bowl with your flour mixture. Then, using your fingers or a pastry cutter or knife, rub or cut the butter into the flour until only pea-sized pieces of butter remain.
Combine your ice water and lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. While stirring the flour mixture with a fork, slowly pour in your water mixture. When the mixture starts to come together, take it out of the bowl and use your hands to form it into a disk. Don't worry if it's crumbly, it's supposed to be that way. Wrap the dough disk in bees wrap (or plastic wrap if you must). Let the dough disk chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
While the dough is chilling, prep your fillings. First, in a small bowl, whisk together the mascarpone, lemon zest, harissa and salt and set aside. Next, cut up your asparagus, potatoes, fennel bulb and radishes. I like to use a mandolin to slice all my veggies on a slight angle, about 1/8 inch thick. Be careful not to cut your fingers. If your asparagus are on the thinner side, don’t bother with the mandolin. Simply slice them into sections with a knife.
After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 400 F. Set the dough on a piece of compostable parchment paper the size of a large baking pan. Use a rolling pin to wack it and roll it until it's 1/8 inch thick. I like to make mine into a circle-ish shape, but feel free to go wild. Just make sure it will fit on a baking pan. If your dough cracks, just tear some dough from another spot and patch it up — galettes aren't meant to be perfect.
Once rolled out, carefully transfer the parchment paper and dough to a large baking sheet. Then, spread the mascarpone mixture in an even layer on the surface of the dough, leaving about 1 1/2 inches around the edges of the galette. Hold back a few slices of raw radish, fennel and asparagus to top the finished dish. Arrange the remaining veggies in a flat layer over the mascarpone filling. Don't be afraid to pile them high because they will shrink down as they bake. Carefully fold over the edges of the galette and pinch them together to seal. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Top with raw radishes, fennel and asparagus slices and dig in.
sustainability tips
Flours: I like King Arthur brand flours because King Arthur is a B Corp! That means they hold themselves to super high environmental and human rights standards. Yay!
Butter and mascarpone: Since dairy is terrible for the environment, buy your butter and mascarpone from a brand that gives back. I like to buy my dairy from brands that are B Corps, which means they are held to high environmental and social standards.
Vegetables and lemon: Make this dish in early spring because that is when all the produce in this dish are in season. For maximum sustainability, buy organic and as locally as possible. This will ensure that your vegetables and lemon don’t contribute to pesticide contamination or excessive greenhouse gas emissions during travel.