Cheesy tomato galette with a za'atar infused crust

Plus a wine pairing!

Hello! Welcome back! Skip all the rambling and scroll right to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.

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One of my favorite ways to experiment in the kitchen is to take the Middle Eastern flavors I grew up with and turn them into something new. I’m Armenian on my dad’s side and a mishmash of all sorts of Scandinavian/European on my mom’s, so I like to think it’s a natural progression of the way I grew up eating. Saturday morning breakfast tables laden with labneh and cucumbers and tomatoes and cheese but also bacon and scrambled eggs and pancakes. A little bit from one, a little bit from the other.

Today’s recipe is perhaps one of my favorite examples of that. It’s a tomato galette, but with some of the spices and herb mixtures that are prevalent in Middle Eastern cooking. There are herbs, za’atar, Aleppo pepper, and cheese — I’ll never understand a tomato galette without cheese — and the result is familiar if you’ve had a tomato galette recipe in the past but also different.

Tell me more

Tomato galettes practically scream summer to me, and I’m pretty sure every food blogger/creator has their own version. This is mine, and it’s been on repeat for years. I wasn’t aiming for manaish/manakish/manousheh vibes when I first made this, but that’s definitely what I ended up with. The za’atar in the crust plays sooo well with the cheeses, herbs, and of course tomatoes. It’s like a French-ified way to eat a manaish stuffed with tomatoes and cheese and herbs. Not as good as the OG, but a close second.

For the crust, my secret is ice cold vodka. Most recipeS will call for ice water to form the dough, but I saw on TikTok years ago that vodka creates a flakier crust. Tried it for a Thanksgiving pie and never went back. And, it’s actually science.

Before we start

• Hands-on time for this isn’t too long, but you do have to let the dough rest for a couple of hours if you choose to make it from scratch (or let it defrost if you use frozen), which definitely makes this a plan-ahead meal.

• If the idea of baking something has you sweating, stop. The reason I love galettes is they’re actually super forgiving! The rustic shape and look of them means you can throw perfection out the window and just aim for the best you can do. It’s the perfect foray into baking if you, like me, are a more intuitive cook. Yes, the measurements for the dough are important to follow, but if you overwork it, roll it out too thin or into an oblong shape, etc., it’s not the end of the world. It just looks more *rustic*, which is kinda the point! And, when all else fails, just buy a frozen pie crust.

• Speaking of frozen crust — go ahead and use one!! A store-bought pie crust (the type you roll out, not the type that already comes in a pie tin) works perfectly here. You know I love a shortcut.

• I like to use heirloom tomatoes in a variety of colors just because I think they’re so pretty here, but you can really use whatever tomaters you have/love.

• This tastes just as good hot out of the oven as it does at room temp.

• A crunchy salad with a dijon and shallot vinaigrette is the perfect side here. For the vin, do 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot, the juice of 1 lemon, 3 tbsp walnut oil or extra virgin olive oil, and salt + freshly ground black pepper.

A perfect pairing

I’ve asked my friend Megan Park, the woman behind my favorite wine Instagram, glou-glou glossary, to suggest a wine pairing for the meal. Megan’s a non-somm who always knows the perfect bottle of wine to enjoy with a meal, and also happens to be one of my oldest and dearest friends. In other words, I trust her with my life. And my wine pairings.

Summer is here, and tomato season is upon us. You know what else you need? A crisp, chilled, floral white to fend off the LA heat. Enter Echeverria No Es Pituko Orange Sauvignon Blanc — a Chilean skin contact 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The floral body of this wine, combined with the tart sweetness of tomatoes and the herbal kick of za’atar... yummm! It’s a match made in summer flavor heaven.

Find it near you: Silverlake Wines in LA (they ship nationally, too!)

The recipe

Note: recipe videos are posted on my Instagram.

Serves: 4-5

Cook time: 30 minutes active; 2 hours resting; 45 minutes cooking