Recipe

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix together the peppers, onions, thyme leaves, ground spices, olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Spread out in a roasting pan and roast for 35 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the cooking. The vegetables should be soft and sweet but not too crisp or brown, as they will cook further. Remove from the oven and stir in half of the fresh herbs. Taste for seasoning and set aside. Turn the oven up to 425°F.

Step 3: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12″ square about 1/8″ thick and cut into four 6″ squares. Prick the squares all over with a fork and place them, well spaced, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4: Remove the pastry from the fridge and brush the top and sides with beaten egg. Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread 1-1/2 tsp of the sour cream over each square, leaving a 1/4″ border around the edges. Arrange 3 tbsp of the pepper mixture on top of the sour cream-topped squares, leaving the borders clear to rise. It should be spread fairly evenly, but leave a shallow well in the middle to hold an egg later on.

Step 5: Bake the galettes for 14 minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully crack a whole egg into the well in the centre of each pastry. Return to the oven and cook for another 7 minutes, until the eggs are just set. Sprinkle with black pepper and the remaining herbs and drizzle with oil. Serve at once.

Reprinted with permission from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem (2012 Appetite by Random House).