Christmas dinner is all about hearty and wholesome food and to me a wellington is exactly that. Mushrooms don’t only taste incredibly delicious, they are also a great source of the B Vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. Opt for a brand labelled “UV treated” if you can as these mushrooms will then also contain a substantial amount of Vitamin D, which is something most of us are low on during these dark winter months (don’t purely rely on mushrooms for your Vitamin D intake, but they definitely make a great addition to any supplement). The stuffing provides protein, fibre, manganese, folate, iron, omega 3 and various other essential nutrients and – needless to say – the most wonderful flavours! Serve with all the trimmings and a nice green salad.
What you need:
320g vegan puff pastry (I use a ready rolled one) – cut in half in order to make 2 wellingtons*
For the stuffing:
2 tins cooked green lentils – drained and rinsed
20 walnut halves
6 tbsp porridge oats
80g dried cranberries
4 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic granules
2 tbsp mixed fresh sage, thyme & parsley – roughly chopped
For the mushroom centre:
600g chestnut mushrooms (or button mushrooms) – quartered
1 large onion – finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
10 tbsp mixed fresh sage, thyme & rosemary – chopped
2 tbsp white flour
Salt to taste
How you do it:
Start with the mushroom filling.
In a frying pan heat up the olive oil, fry the onion for a minute before adding the mushrooms.
On high heat fry everything until all the liquid has evaporated, stir frequently to avoid the mushrooms from burning.
Add the chopped herbs and reduce the heat, fry for another minute.
Turn off the hob and gently stir in the flour, all mushrooms should be evenly coated.
Salt to taste and leave to cool.
Preheat your oven at gas mark 6 (180C).
Now make the stuffing.
In a food processor blend all the ingredients until you get a smooth paste.
Taste and add a little salt or another dash of soy sauce if necessary.
Evenly spread the stuffing onto the two puff pastry sheets leaving out about 1.5cm on each side (to make it easier to close your wellingtons).
Spoon half of the mushrooms along the middle of each wellington, scatter a few more cranberries over the top if you like.
Very gently roll both wellingtons into a sausage, firmly pressing the side closed with your fingers, then tuck in both ends making sure they won’t split open when the puff pastry rises.
Place both of them on a lined baking tray, cut side down.
Mix a little bit of plant milk with some olive oil and brush the wellingtons for a nice golden colour.
Cut some decorative patterns on the top and bake for 40-45mins or until the puff pastry looks nicely browned and firm all around (check you can lift them off the baking tray without any liquid coming through).
Let them rest for a few minutes, then gently slice with a bread knife.
*I prefer to make two slightly smaller wellingtons instead of one big one as it bakes better this way. Mushrooms contain a lot of water and even after the majority of it evaporates during the frying process and the flour seemingly absorbs the rest it can get soggy if the filling/puff pastry ratio isn’t right.
