Asparagus, Almond Pesto & Ricotta Galette

Celebrate the fresh flavours of summer with our Asparagus, Almond Pesto & Ricotta Galette!

This vibrant green galette isn’t just packed with seasonal greens and goodness – it’s also easy to prepare, looks impressive on a plate and is an exciting addition to a balanced diet that could help reduce your risk of breast cancer.

1 galette (4 portions)

Preparation time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:  

For the tart filling:

250g asparagus

1 courgette

250g (1 cup) ricotta cheese

Salt and pepper

For the almond pesto:

180g spinach

20g basil

60g (1/2 cup) ground almonds

1 garlic clove

4 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon

For the shortcrust pastry:

240g (1 ¾ cups) wholemeal flour + extra to roll out dough

100ml olive oil

100ml water

1 pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7.
2. To make the shortcrust pastry: In a bowl, mix the wholemeal flour, olive oil and salt with a wooden spatula. Then slowly add the water little by little. You should end up with a compact and thick ball. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, make the homemade pesto. Blanch the spinach by adding it to a colander or sieve and pouring boiled water over it to make it wilt, then rinse the wilted spinach under cold running water, then squeeze the water out of the spinach. In a food processor, add the blanched spinach with the basil, ground almonds, garlic, olive oil, and juice from the lemon. Blitz until smooth.
4. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the pesto.
5. Prepare the other galette fillings. Trim and discard the woody ends of the asparagus. Slice the top and tail of the courgette, then peel lengths off to make courgette ribbons using a peeler.
6. When the shortcrust pastry has sat for 5-10 minutes, spread some extra flour on your worktop and roll it out into a large disc. Carefully transfer the pastry to a lightly oiled tart pan or baking tray (where possible, avoid non-stick cookware).
7. Spread a quarter of the pesto-ricotta mixture thinly onto the pastry, leaving a 1 cm round border. Add the courgette ribbons on top. Then spread the rest of the pesto-ricotta mixture over the courgettes. Lay the asparagus over the pesto-ricotta mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the pastry border over the edge of the filling.
8. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the asparagus is tender and the filling is lightly browned. If the tart isn’t golden enough, cook a little longer.
9. Let it cool down and serve.

Why is this good for you ?

Asparagus, courgettes and spinach are all non-starchy vegetables that are rich in carotenoids. Eating non-starchy vegetables and carotenoid-rich vegetables may decrease the risk of breast cancer.

This recipe uses wholemeal flour, which has a higher fibre content than all-purpose white flour. A diet high in fibre is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer.

Remember, you can watch our recipes come to life over on our YouTube channel.

If you enjoyed our Asparagus, Almond Pesto & Ricotta Galette recipe and are craving more dishes like this, download Breast Cancer UK’s FREE recipe e-book ‘Organic Flavours’.