Veggie Wellington

  • medium
  • 10
  • 2 hours 15 minutes
3.00

This lavish vegetarian Wellington recipe from Andy Waters would make a fantastic centrepiece for a vegetarian Sunday lunch or even Christmas Day. This puff pastry parcel is bursting with sweet potatoes, mushrooms, kale and spinach, plus some festive chestnuts, too.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Veggie Wellington

Herby mash

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
2
Add the sweet potato to a large roasting tray with a good splash of olive oil
3
Using a pestle and mortar, bash the rosemary and thyme lightly for 1-2 minutes to release the flavour. Scatter over the sweet potato
  • 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked
  • 1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked
4
Cover the tray with tin foil and place in the oven for approximately 45 minutes until soft. Remove and allow to cool
5
Meanwhile, place a saucepan over a medium heat and add a dash of olive oil. Once hot, add the onions along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
  • 2 red onions, peeled and sliced
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of pepper
6
Gently cook the onions, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly browned
7
Add the crumbled chestnuts to the pan and cook for further 2 minutes
  • 100g of chestnuts, peeled and chopped, optional
8
Toast the bread until dark and golden and drizzle with a small dash of olive oil. Tear into small chunks and set aside
  • 2 slices of sourdough bread
  • 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil
9
Add the torn toast to the pan with the onions, stir to combine. Stir in the lemon zest and remove the pan from the heat
10
For the mushrooms, melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until all the liquid from the mushrooms has cooked off and they are soft
11
Squeeze in a little lemon juice. Remove the pan from the heat, pour the contents into a blender and blitz into a paste
12
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Tear the kale into small pieces and cook for 2 minutes, then add the spinach and cook for another 30 seconds. Drain and set aside
13
In a bowl, mix the kale and spinach with the pine nuts, a dash of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper
14
Now assemble your Wellington. Roll out the puff pastry on a sheet of baking parchment until approximately 30cm x 40cm, then spread the mushroom mixture on top
  • 500g of puff pastry
15
Toss together the spinach, sweet potato and onion-bread mixture. Spoon it in a thick line down the middle of the pastry, leaving a gap at either side so you can join up the edges of the Wellington
16
Hold one side of the baking parchment and lift it, with the pastry, towards the centre of the Wellington so the filling is half covered
17
Peel the baking parchment back, leaving the pastry in place, then repeat with the other side. The pastry should overlap in the middle
18
Beat the egg with the milk and brush it over the pastry to seal the join
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp of milk
19
Fold up the ends so the filling doesn't leak out, then carefully roll the Wellington onto a baking sheet, with the seal underneath. Brush all over with the remainder of the egg mix
20
Bake for 45 minutes until puffed up, golden brown and hot through the middle
21
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for approximately 12-15 minutes or until tender
22
Strain and allow to steam for 5 minutes. Tip back into the pot and mash together with the light crème fraîche, butter, salt and pepper
23
Using a wooden spoon, mix in the chives and parsley
24
To serve, slice up the Wellington and serve on a bed of the herby mash and your preferred vegetarian gravy

Andy Waters helped put the Midlands on the gastronomic map when he won a Michelin star in 2003 for Edmunds. The award came within six months of opening and the restaurant went on to be named restaurant of the year by Harden's Guide.

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