Italian Sausage and Fennel Galette

Galette is just a fancy term for a free-form tart.  This sausage and fennel galette is the perfect fall tart with its warm sausage, earthy fennel and fragrant sage and rosemary.  At first I thought it would remind me of a pizza because it's round and has a crust and sausage and cheese.  But it really doesn't taste like pizza at all.  The crust is very crisp, the cheese is less prominent than in a pizza, and there's no red sauce.  It's its own thing.  A really good thing, too.

Just note that the dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, which gives you time to make the filling before you bake the tart for about 35 minutes.  Assuming you cool the tart for maybe 10-15 minutes, the whole project will take you about 2 hours start to finish so it's maybe not a weeknight project unless you make the dough and the filling in advance.  In that case, it will take about an hour including cooling time.

Serve the tart with a bog green salad for a wonderful light fall or winter dinner.

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Italian Sausage and Fennel Galette

Serves 4

For the dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/8 cup cold water

For the filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ medium onion, thinly sliced

½ lb hot Italian sausage (pork or turkey), removed from the casing

1 medium fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced crosswise

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons sugar

5 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry and thinly sliced

1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Black or white sesame seeds, for optional garnish

In a food processor, pulse the flour, butter and salt a few times until crumbly.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a fork. Put half the egg in a slightly larger bowl (refrigerating the remainder for brushing later) and add the ice water.  Whisk again to combine.

Add the egg and water to the food processor and pulse until the dough comes together more or less.  Turn out on a floured surface and bring together with your hands to form a ball.  Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.

While the dough chills, make the filling.  Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and sauté, breaking it up with the edge of a wooden spoon, until the moisture has evaporated and the sausage is lightly browned.  Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.

Add the second tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté for a minute or two, then add the fennel and sugar and continue to sauté until the vegetables are softened and translucent (3-4 more minutes).  Remove from the heat and let cool.  When the sausage and vegetables are cool, combine them in a bowl with the cheese and fresh herbs.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375d.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a circle approximately 11” in diameter.  Gently fold into quarter and place on the parchment paper, then unfold.  Place the filling mixture in the center of the dough, then spread evenly leaving 1 ½“of dough uncovered around the outer edge.  Fold the edges over the filling and brush the edges with the remaining beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, optional.

Bake for about 35 minutes until the crust is golden.  Serve warm or at room temperature.