Plentiful. Healthful. Delicious. Have you heard of the world’s number one way of eating?
This ancient cuisine became known in scientific literature over 50 years ago, with the archetypal Cretan Mediterranean diet promoted by US physiologist Ancel Keys. Since then, studies including millions of people from around the world have consistently found that following a Mediterranean diet can lower your risk of developing many chronic illnesses. There is also growing evidence that it is important in brain health and can lower your risk of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias. Around the world, government guidelines on health promotion and illness prevention are now identifying the Mediterranean diet as an optimal approach for health maintenance and disease prevention.
In true French fashion, this dish is aesthetically striking due to the pattern of zucchini slices, and it never fails to garner a compliment or two from guests. This recipe takes inspiration from across the Mediterranean, using a mixture of ricotta and feta to complement the leek and create a lusciously flaky pie.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and sauté the leek and kale with a good pinch of salt until softened. Add the oregano and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the leek mixture with the ricotta, feta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and basil, season with salt and pepper and mix well. In a separate bowl, toss the zucchini with the remaining olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Roll out the pastry to form a 25 × 35 cm rectangle and transfer to the tray. Spread on the ricotta mixture, leaving a 2 cm border on all sides.
- Starting from the top left corner and overlapping the slices in a diagonal cascading pattern, layer the zucchini over the ricotta mixture.
- Fold over the pastry edges and brush the exposed pastry with the whisked egg.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the galette is cooked through and the pastry is golden brown
