If you want to show somebody you love them. And I mean REALLY love them. Bake this seasonal squash galette. The pastry comes out really light and flaky and the tomatoes and squash are pre-baked to enable time for the flavours to really develop. What you end up with is a melt in the mouth tart that hits those taste buds hard with a mix of sweet and savoury umami flavours.

The thing I enjoy most about galette’s is how the ends of the pastry fold over. Not only does it look super rustic, but it also creates a kind of stuffed crust that makes every inch of it delicious with zero dry bits of pastry.

Whilst I’m on the pastry – it’ll feel quite wet and shaggy at the start, but a little extra flour and kneading with hands will bring it all together in no time. Mine often looks misshapen, but I take great comfort in the fact that it tastes a gazillion times better than the rolled and ready shop options (with none of the emulsifiers and acidity regulators).

I used leftover pesto for the base here, but you could use anything you like to sway it in your preferred flavour direction. Good substitutes include tomato passata, chipotle, harissa and nduja paste. If you’re a spice fiend, add some chillis or jalapenos to the pastry and topping for a hit of heat. Spice on spice – it can only lead to good things….

INGREDIENTS (Makes 8 slices):

Pastry:

• 100g plain flour

• 50g spelt flour

• 15g semolina

• 1 heaped tsp caster sugar

• 1 tsp flaked sea salt

• 1 tsp cracked black pepper

• 20ml olive oil

• 80g butter

• 60ml cold water

  Toppings:

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into half moons

• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/3 red onion - diced

• A drizzle of Balsamic Glaze or Vinegar

• Left over pesto (or your choice of base sauce)

• 1 tbsp zaatar

• 1 tbsp oregano

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika

• 1 egg, beaten

• Flaky sea salt and black pepper to season

• 125g mozzarella

• Vegetable oil

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C.

2. Prepare the pastry: Add all the ingredients (except the water) to a bowl and massage everything in with your fingers, working the butter into the flour. Slowly add the water, moving it all around with your hands and breaking down the butter until it resembles a round of dough.

3. Flour a clean surface and a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, adding a light dusting of flour as and when you need. Fold the dough in half and roll again. Then fold it in half the other way and continue rolling. Finally, fold it back onto itself until it resembles a small square parcel. Use your hands to mould the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for half an hour.

4. Whilst the dough is chilling, prep the veg. Line a baking tray and add the squash. Drizzle with the vegetable oil and balsamic glaze, sprinkle over the sweet smoked paprika and half of the oregano and coriander, then give everything a really good season. Toss it around a bit and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.

5. Once the squash goes into the oven, prepare the tomatoes. Add them – cut side up – to a baking dish with the diced red onion and give everything a good drizzle of vegetable oil. Season and sprinkle with the remaining oregano, coriander and zaatar. Put in the oven on the rack below the squash and let everything cook together. Once cooked, remove and turn the oven down to 200C.

6. Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and roll it into a rustic oval shape. Transfer onto a lined baking sheet and drizzle over the pesto, followed by the cooked squash and tomatoes. Tear the mozzarella onto the top and fold the edges of the pastry up and over the vegetables. Brush the egg wash over the edges of the galette, season again and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes on 200C.

7. Remove, allow to cool, cut into slices and enjoy whilst it’s still warm.