Savory Beet and Gorgonzola Galette

Every couple of weeks, I come back from grocery shopping with a big bunch of beets.  I roast them, peel them, dice them and toss them into my dinner salads for a few nights.  Tasty and healthy.  But the last bunch was still sitting in the veggie crisper a few days later.  As much as I like roasted beets, I was clearly not motivated enough for even the simple task of wrapping them in foil and sticking them in the oven.  Beet boredom?  Something had to be done!

I happened to be looking at a photo of a fruit tart somewhere online and the idea of a savory beet tart began to form.  I love my recipe for olive oil dough and suddenly I knew exactly what I was going to do with that last bunch of beets.  Once done, I had to restrain myself from polishing off the whole tart, it was so good.  A sliver as an accompaniment to a dinner salad, a side dish for dinner, lunch, snack...all of the above.  Excuse me while I go grab another slice.  Enjoy!





Ingredients
1 Cup all purpose flour (white or wheat)
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons cold water
2 Golden beets (or red beets)
1/2 Cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

To make the dough, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Add the olive oil and stir to combine.  If the mixture seems too dry then add the water but it's not always necessary.  Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

While the dough is resting, prepare the beets by dropping them into a pot of boiling water.  Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from the pot and allow to cool enough to handle.  Peel the beets and slice into thin rounds.  You can do this with a knife but it's far faster and easier with a mandoline.

Press the dough into an 8" or 9" round dish (I used a pie tin).  Begin layering the sliced beets in an overlapping circle but keeping about 1 1/2" away from the edge of the dough.  Season each layer with salt and pepper and sprinkle on about a tablespoon of the crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.  Roll the edges of the dough up and crimp them slightly.  Top with the remaining cheese and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until the dough is a light golden brown.  Makes approximately 8 servings.