Hairy Biker's Christmas Veggie Wellington
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS: Filling 1 tbsp olive oil 25g butter 1 onion, finely chopped 1 celery stick, finely chopped 200g root vegetables, coarsely grated 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped leaves from a sprig of thyme, finely chopped a few sage leaves, finely shredded zest of 1 lemon1⁄4 tsp ground allspice1⁄4 tsp ground cloves 1⁄4 tsp ground mace 100g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped 50g nuts, finely chopped75g cooked wild or brown rice 75g cooked brown lentils25g breadcrumbs2 tsp mushroom ketchup1 tsp soy sauce1 egg, beatensea salt and black pepper Mushroom duxelles 1 tbsp olive oil 25g butter 2 shallots, very finely chopped 400g mushrooms, very finely chopped into 3mm dice (use a food processor if you like) 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 200g spinachsqueeze of lemon juice
Prunes 12 prunes75ml oloroso sherry Pastry flour, for dusting 500g block of puff pastry 1 egg, beaten, for sealing and brushing Cranberry sauce 250g fresh or frozen cranberries grated zest and juice of 1 orange or 2 clementines 50g caster sugar1 tbsp oloroso sherry or port Gravy 1 tbsp olive oil 25g butter 1 shallot, finely chopped 200g mushrooms, very finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped a sprig of thyme, leaves finely chopped 1 tbsp plain flour 100ml white wine or dry sherry 1 tbsp mushroom ketchup 250ml mushroom stock
METHOD:
First make the filling. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan and add the onion and celery. Cook until the onion is starting to caramelise, then add the grated root vegetables.
Continue to cook, stirring regularly, until they have reduced down considerably. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the garlic and herbs. Continue to cook for another 2–3 minutes then stir in the lemon zest and spices. Set aside to cool. When cool, stir in all the remaining ingredients and set aside.
To make the mushroom duxelles, heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and add the shallots. Cook gently until translucent, then add the mushrooms and garlic.
Cook until the mushrooms have reduced down in volume and any liquid has evaporated away – the texture should almost be that of a mushroom pâté. Wilt down the spinach in a little water, then drain and finely chop.
Squeeze out as much water out as you can, then stir the spinach into the mushrooms and add the lemon juice.
Put the prunes in a small saucepan and cover with the sherry. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave the prunes to absorb the sherry.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
To assemble, dust a large piece of baking paper with flour and place it on your work surface.
Roll out the puff pastry to a rectangle measuring about 30 x 40cm. Spread a quarter of the mushroom mixture lengthways down the middle of the puff pastry, leaving a border on both short sides.
Pile half the filling mixture on top, then put a line of the prunes along the centre.
Add the rest of the filling, making sure it seamlessly joins together, then spread the rest of the mushroom mixture over the top and sides of the filling.
Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg, then bring up the sides to cover the filling and slightly overlap it.
Seal the ends, then carefully roll the Wellington on to the baking tray so the join is on the bottom.
Cut a few slashes in the top and brush with more egg. Bake for about 35 minutes or until it is a rich golden brown and piping hot.
Leave to stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the cranberry sauce and gravy. Roast potatoes and parsnips (see p.250) and sautéed greens (see p.257) complete the festive spread.
For the cranberry sauce, put the cranberries, orange or clementine zest and juice and the sugar into a pan.
Add a splash of water and cook over a gentle heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened, taste and add a little more sugar if necessary.
Stir in the oloroso or port and simmer for another minute. Transfer to a serving bowl and allow to cool.
For the gravy, heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan.
Add the shallot and fry over medium-high heat until softened and caramelised.
Add the mushrooms and cook until they have reduced down and are dry. Stir in the garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then turn up the heat and add the wine or sherry.
Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then add the mushroom ketchup and stock a little at a time until you have a fairly thin gravy. Check the seasoning and strain if you like.
BIKER VEGAN TIP: Leave out the egg from the filling, replace any butter with more oil and use vegan puff pastry. Mix a tablespoon of plant-based milk with a tablespoon of olive oil to seal and brush the pastry.