(First, please pardon the blinding glare in the subsequent photos…) Now then, let’s strike an impertinent little pose, shall we? One that beckons hither and yon and says, “Come ‘n get me!” — in a nice way, of course.
Or, in Okie terms… pull up a chair and dig in!
Quick aside… My original plan was to make a traditional Galette des Rois with almond paste filling, but the farthest I got was blanching the almonds. Have you ever tried to peel a blanched almond?
I enlisted The Man Of Few Words to help (ain’t he sweet?) and we sat on opposite sides of the counter with a pile between us. It soon became a game of Tiddlywinks. (Remember those?) One or the other of us would accidentally “shoot” an almond airborne and I’ve never giggled so much over a mundane task. Laughter truly is the best medicine!
But, I finally abandoned my galette-making plan for another day — I also went with a savory version. (At that point in my “cold recovery,” I needed flavor, and lots of it.) For a marvelous “how-to” on the traditional galette, click here. (Thank you, Becoming Madame!) And, for a lovely fruit and cheese variation with pears, pecans, and Gorgonzola, click here. (Thank you, basilmomma!)
Okay, here’s my take…
Pizza Pie, Oh My!
Preheat oven to 400° F.
For the crust:
1 prepared pie crust (everybody has their favorite — use whatever works for you)
Extra virgin olive oil
For the sauce:
1/2 to 1 whole head of garlic, roasted*
1 tsp. Kosher salt
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. olive oil (or butter… or both)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* Obviously, it’s easier to roast a whole head of garlic than a half… Cut off the top, drizzle a little olive oil over it, wrap it in foil, and roast it in a 400° oven for 15 to 20 minutes until it’s soft; set aside to cool. Use as much as your tastebuds can handle. (Reserve the rest for later and leave your oven on.)
For the filling:
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
1 med. sweet onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, chopped (I used the “jarred” kind — yes, I resort to convenience now and then…)
4 to 6 oz. Italian blend shredded cheese (yes, fresh is better, but see above)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (this, I will not budge on)
To prepare crust: Roll as thinly as possible and place on a pizza pan or stone. Brush lightly with olive oil to approximately 2″ from edges; set aside.
To prepare sauce: Squeeze desired amount of roasted garlic onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with salt. Mash together with a fork to form a paste. In a small saucepan, combine tomato paste, water, olive oil (or butter… or both) and garlic paste. Season to taste with pepper. (This is a very basic sauce, so as not to compete with the toppings.) Cook over low heat until warmed; set aside.
To prepare filling: Brown the sausage in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Break it into fairly good-sized chunks as it cooks. Remove sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate. Do not drain skillet.
Add onion to drippings; saute until translucent. Add roasted red pepper; saute briefly. Remove with a slotted spoon to aforementioned paper-towel-lined plate. (It’s okay if it gets cozy with the sausage; it will eventually anyway.)
Meanwhile, spread a thin layer of sauce over the crust to within 2″ of edges. (Is there more than one edge when it’s a circle? Never mind.) Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the sauce, followed by half the Italian blend cheese.
Next, scatter the sausage, onions, and peppers about at random. (Preferrably over the sauce and crust…) Top with remaining shredded cheese.
Now then: Carefully (and artfully) fold crust edges over filling, leaving the middle exposed. (The pizza, not yours…) Crimp loosely to form a “galette.” If desired, (which I did, but forgot), lightly sprinkle the crust with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. (Hint: Start with the middle rack in your oven. If needed, move pan to a higher rack to sufficiently the brown the “top” crust without fricaseeing the bottom.)
Before serving, grate additional Parmesan cheese over the top. Pizza Pie? Oh My!
Enjoying galette gloriousness,
~ Kim
Kimby, u’re so talented! I’ve not baked a pizza myself, it’s always eat-out. Lol! Hope I’ll have the chance to sample your food one day :)
That would be so much fun, Shirley — if you make some of your food for me to sample, too! :)
Hey Kim, just found my blog under your ‘Delightful Reading” list. I’m so honoured! Thks so much for reading my humble posts, dear!
Pizza is my favorite! Actually, anything with tomato and cheese is my favorite. But this sounds delicious. I hope to hear more about the galette des rois, too. Maybe that’s my favorite. :)
Shary, I still plan to make a Galette des Rois some day, but if you want instant gratification, just click on Becoming Madame’s link in my post! :)
P.S. My “favorites” change all the time, too, lol!
I just visited Becoming Madame and had to subscribe to her posts, too. I’m very much a francophile. I think I accidentally subscribed as Lola, though. I hope she won’t think that’s weird. :)
Why, yes! Yes, I HAVE wondered how to peel a blanched almond! You are a hoot, Sweet Sis! :)
Laurie, I can “hear” you saying that — made me smile! I miss ya, Big Sister…
Oh! Roasted garlic is so divine. =) And I’ll make a note to always buy pre-blanched almonds, heh heh (though laughter is indeed good medicine).
By the way, I don’t mind the “glare” in your pics at all–I like the lighting, in fact! It makes the food look 3-dimensionally scrumptious.
Jenna, peeling almonds didn’t take long with the “unexpected” fun added, but I’ll warn ya — they’re slippery little buggers! And yes, roasted garlic is practically a food group for me as well…
Thanks for the comments on my pics, too!
This is glorious, no doubt! I am on the fence these days about the crust of pizza. It seems either too dry and thin or too thick-more bread than topping. Coming across this savory galette does seem to be the answer to my present dilemma. I have saved this recipe so I can enjoy at my house. Delicious creation.
Tina, we have the pizza crust “debate” at our house, too — thin or thick? Bread-y or cracker-y? You’re right about having a good topping ratio, too — this galette definitely doesn’t lack for that — but you do have to eat it with a fork. (However, I don’t mind foregoing the hand-held method of eating pizza now and then…)
Kim!
I Make pizza too @ home and just love homemade ones. I love the flavors u’ve used in it tomatoes, sausage, peppers and cheese. I am sure this thin crust too must hv tasted great.
Flavor is the name of the game, yes?! Thanks for coming to my “kitchen” to visit again, Gursahiba! I’ll see you shortly over at yours! :)
You are a hoot! Thank you for the mention and THANK YOU for this awesome recipe! Your shots are mouth watering!!
Your galette has been calling my name, Heather… thanks for letting me share!
Honestly this is much easier than trying to pull and stretch a pizza dough. I really like this idea.
Thanks, Dawn! It’s kind of like a “pizza quiche” — could probably make it in a pie plate and forego the “free form” edge to make it even easier. I’ve had bouts with lopsided pizza dough, too, lol!
This looks better than anything I’ve eaten in a week. wow!
Many thanks, Maureen!
Oh I love it!! I’d love to make it my own too! I’ve never made pizza crust or pie myself… it looks so delicious. I like your choices of toppings too. If I make one I’d definitely follow your recipe. My family probably need two of this at least..=)
Pizza is a fun food to make, Nami — plus you can “personalize” it with whatever toppings you want, if you’d like. Thanks for coming by to comment!
Oh Kim, what a fabulous idea to to make a ‘rustic’ looking pizza pie! :) I like to do this with fruit pies, especially when I know my shortcrust dough isn’t holding up… I just tell everyone galettes are supposed to look rustic! Didn’t they know?! LOL :D Your blog is one that I read through from start to finish for each entry just because you are such a good writer, and you make me laugh! Thank you for that! :D The pizza pie looks absolutely delicious! Next time we have pizza night, I’m going to have me a pizza galette while my husband chomps down a boring thin crust! :D
Thanks, Marsha — I appreciate your comments! That sounds like a good (and delicious) plan — life’s a lot more tasty when you treat yourself now & then — enjoy!
Hi Kimby! The pics are terrific and the pizza is wowza! Delicious! I may be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that you could blanch almonds and then peel them by rubbing them in a towel. I didn’t read the other comments, so if I’m duplicating the info – I apologize!
Dear Kimby,
What a fab idea with this recipe since you’re getting a pie and a pizza all in one! I would not budge on the parmesan too as I think its taste and flavour are just awesome and irreplaceable!
What a fantastic idea to make a pizza in a pie crust! I love it – a pizza galette! It looks SO SO incredible! You should market this, Kim!
I love galettes they are so easy to make and I LOVE pizza so this is a must try!
I’m glad you enjoyed this galette “gloriousness,” y’all. It was a treat having you visit here — come back to the lake anytime! :)
Kim,
I love making pizzas! And these looks so rustic and drool-worthy :D
You are talking my language! This pizza looks great. Do you share your pie crust recipe?
Hi, by chance I came across pizza galette information and you asked the same question a while back that I had about the pie crust recipe. Did you ever receive an reply? Thank you Rob
Rob, I emailed my “secret pie crust recipe” to clouds full of rain. Please let me know if you’d like me to do the same for you and thanks for your persistence!
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I do not knbow if it’s just me or if everybody else experiencing issues with yourr blog.
It looks like some of the written text within your posts
are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide
feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too?
This may be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen before.
Cheers