Vegetarian wellington
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 500g butternut squash (peeled and cut into 1cm dice)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots (finely chopped)
- small bunch of sage ( leaves finely chopped)
- 500g closed cup mushrooms (chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 150ml double cream
- 200g fresh breadcrumbs
- 150g cooked chestnuts (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp ground mace
- whole nutmeg (for grating)
- 500g block puff pastry
- plain flour to dust
- 6-8 cooked beetroot
- 1 egg (beaten to glaze)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds or poppy seeds (to decorate)
Method:
- Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the squash with 1 tbsp oil, half the sage and some seasoning. tip onto a baking tray and roast for 25 minutes until tender.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the shallots for 10 minutes until tender. Add the mushrooms and fry for 15 minutes until softened and the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the garlic and remaining sage to the mushrooms, fry for a minute. Then add the double cream. Stir until it coats the mushrooms and no liquid remains. Fold in the breadcrumbs, mace, chestnuts and roast squash. Season everything well, adding a grating of nutmeg. Leave to cool before assembling the wellington.
- Roll the pastry out on a floured work surface to a 35 x 45cm rectangle. Transfer to a large parchment-lined baking sheet with one of the long lengths of the pastry facing towards you. Spoon the mushroom and squash mixture down the length of the pastry, leaving a 7cm border along the top and 1cm on both sides. Brush all the exposed pastry with beaten egg.
- Put the beetroots in a line down the middle of the filling – they should be touching. Fold the filling-covered, long length of the pastry over the beets, using the paper to help you. Roll up and trim the pastry with a knife when it’s overlapping by 1cm.
- Place the wellington seal-side down, and pinch the ends to seal. Egg wash the whole thing and use a fork or blunt cutlery knife to score the pastry in a pretty pattern. Chill until for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
- Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush the wellington with more beaten egg, sprinkle with the sesame or poppy seeds and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and puffed up. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving into chunky slices with a sharp knife to serve.
