By Emily Yu
Wondering what to serve at a family feast where everyone has different dietary choices? Check out this gorgeous meat-free wellington recipe by our client, Emily, also known as food blogger @theeclecticpea, for a decadent main that will even wow the carnivores.
“This is a vegetarian wellington that can be made vegan with some substitutions! It’d be a great variation from a roast dinner if your family has one on Christmas. You can serve it alongside some roast potatoes, and you could make a cranberry sauce for the wellington as well! It’s one of my favourite things to make to treat my family.” – Emily
Mushroom Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 1 leek, sliced thinly and washed thoroughly
- 100g spinach, washed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey mustard
- Salt and pepper to season
- Olive oil or butter
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, plucked
- 1 stalk of sage, plucked and chopped
- 50g gouda cheese, grated (exclude or substitute with vegan cheese if you’re vegan! You can also use other cheese of your liking)
- 60g walnuts or pecans, chopped
- 120g roasted and peeled chestnuts, mashed
- Zest of 1 orange
- Ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 egg, or substitute soy milk
Instructions
- Chop up the onions, quarter the chestnut mushrooms and slice the leek thinly.
- Roughly chop up the walnuts or pecans, and mash the chestnuts roughly
- Heat up a large pan, and drizzle in some olive oil (or use a knob of butter) to lightly coat the pan.
- Add in the onion and leek, and stir through. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until they have softened.
- Add in the rosemary, thyme, sage and mushrooms, cooking till the mushrooms have softened.
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar, and honey mustard, and let the ingredients cook till the mushrooms have reduced.
- Toss in the spinach and let it wilt.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the nuts, the chestnuts, the orange zest, as well as the grated gouda cheese (or vegan cheese).
- Taste and see if the mixture needs more salt! Then pour it onto a plate and let it cool.
- While the mixture is cooling, heat the oven to 200 C.
- Roll out the puff pastry onto a chopping board. If you’re using a square sheet of puff pastry like I did, spoon the mixture (you’ll be using half the mixture) onto the sheet so that it’s in the centre! Shape it like a long log using your spoon, and pat down the mixture. Ensure there’s a margin between the mixture and the ends of the pastry sheet.
- Whisk the egg to use as an egg wash (or use soy milk). Brush the egg or soy milk around the edge of the pastry.
- Wrap the sides of the pastry towards the centre over the filling, sealing it – just like you’re wrapping a present! Fold up the ends of the pastry to seal it together, like a present!
- Line a tray with parchment paper. Then roll the pastry over onto the paper so that the fold (seal of the pastry) is on the bottom. Use the egg wash or soy milk to brush over the top of the wellington again.
- Use a knife, and with very light pressure, score the top of the wellington lightly in a criss cross pattern.
- The mixture would probably make 2 wellingtons if you’re using a square pastry sheet! So repeat the process for the other half of the mixture.
- Bake the wellingtons in the oven for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it! And remove the wellingtons from the oven when they’re golden brown, and nicely crisp.
