Time is ripe

Impress your friends and family with this simple recipe for tomato galette.

These recipes make use of fresh, good quality tomatoes, along with time-savers such as frozen puff pastry and sun-dried tomatoes in oil.

Tomato galette with basil dressing

2 sheets ready-made puff pastry

240g sun-dried tomatoes (in oil)

2 teaspoons tomato paste

4-5 ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled

and sliced

Fresh thyme leaves

For the basil dressing

Large handful basil leaves

1 clove garlic, chopped

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut pastry sheets in half to make 4 rectangles. Prick pastry with a fork; lie rectangles side by side on oiled baking trays. Drain most of the oil from sun-dried tomatoes; process with tomato paste to make a fine paste. Add more oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to bring mixture together, if needed. Transfer to a bowl. Spread a thin layer of tomato mixture over pastry, leaving a 1cm border. Place sliced tomatoes on top, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with thyme leaves; drizzle with a little oil. Season. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden on top; check underneath base to make sure pastry is cooked. For dressing, process basil, garlic and olive oil, adding more oil if dressing seems too thick. Drizzle tarts with a little basil oil, to serve. Makes 4

Crispy chicken thighs with tomatoes & chickpeas

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 chicken thighs, skin on

½ medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Plain Greek yoghurt, to serve

Heat oil in large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in batches, skin side down, 8-10 minutes or until skin is browned and crispy. Transfer chicken to a plate. Remove some fat from pan, add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in paprika and cumin; cook for one minute. Add tomatoes, 2 tablespoons water and chickpeas. Bring to boil; nestle chicken in mixture, skin side up. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is crisp and golden. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves; serve with yoghurt. Serves 4

For a full archive of David Herbert’s recipes, go to theaustralian.com. au/life/food-wine/recipes