Leek and Asparagus Galette

Sweet tender leeks encased in crumbly hazelnut pastry make for a fabulous vegetarian main course.

Hands-on time 30min, plus chilling and cooling. Cooking time about

45min. Serves 8

FOR THE HAZELNUT PASTRY

 75g blanched hazelnuts

 225g plain flour, plus extra to dust  150g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

 1 large egg, beaten

FOR THE FILLING

 3 medium leeks

 40g unsalted butter

 1 echalion shallot, finely sliced  6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked  1tsp Dijon mustard

 200ml double cream

 50g mature Cheddar, grated  75g vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated

 225g asparagus spears, trimmed and halved lengthways  1tbsp olive oil

 1tbsp milk

1 For the pastry, in a food processor, whizz the hazelnuts until finely ground. Add the flour, butter and a pinch of salt. Pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and pulse until the pastry comes together. Tip on to a work surface, shape into a disc, wrap and chill for 30min.

2 Meanwhile, make the filling. Trim, halve lengthways and finely slice 2 of the leeks. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over low-medium heat and cook the leeks, shallot, thyme and a pinch of salt for 8-10min, or until softened. Remove from heat and stir in the mustard, cream, Cheddar, 60g hard cheese and some seasoning. Leave to cool completely.

3 Meanwhile, trim and slice the remaining leek into long strips, roughly the same width and length as the asparagus. Add to a large bowl with the asparagus and oil and toss to coat.

4 Lightly flour a large sheet of baking parchment and roll out pastry to a rough 40cm circle. Slide pastry (still on parchment) on to a large baking sheet. Spread the filling over the pastry, leaving a 5cm border around the edges. Top with the asparagus and leek mixture. Fold in the pastry edges to slightly cover the filling (don’t worry if it looks a little rustic). Chill for 30min.

5 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Brush folded pastry with milk and scatter remaining grated hard cheese over the filling. Cook for 30-35min, or until the pastry is golden and crisp at the edges. Leave to cool for a few min on the sheet, then transfer to a board or serving plate. Serve.

PER SERVING 551cals, 13g protein, 43g fat (30g saturates), 22g carbs (3g total sugars), 5g fibre

GET AHEAD Prepare to end of step 2 up to a day ahead. Cool, cover and chill filling. To serve, allow pastry to soften at room temperature for 15min before completing recipe.