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BOSH! Mushroom Wellington

Ingredients list:

  • 7 garlic cloves
  • dried rosemary (1 and half tspn)
  • dried thyme (1 and half tspn)
  • 4 portobello mushrooms, or any larger flat mushrooms
  • 1 tspn and 1 tbspn olive oil
  • 1 tspn salt
  • 2 tspn black pepper
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 tspn light brown sugar
  • 300g chestnut mushrooms
  • 125ml white wine
  • 200g vacuum-packed chestnuts
  • 250g pecans
  • 2 slices seeded bread
  • 2 slices ready-rolled dairy-free shortcrust pastry
  • 4 tbspn plant-based milk

Equipment you will need:

  • 2 lined baking trays
  • Parchment paper to line trays
  • 1 frying pan
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 small bowl
  • 1 pastry brush (or use fingers)
  • 1 food processor

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Line two baking trays with parchment baking paper. Peel and mince 4 of the garlic cloves using a sharp knife.

Lay the Portobello (large, flat) mushrooms on one lined baking tray with the stems pointing up. Drizzle one teaspoon of oil over the gills of the mushrooms and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle two teaspoons of rosemary and teaspoons of thyme over the mushrooms. Put the tray in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, then remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the red onion. Add the tablespoon of oil to a frying pan, and add the chopped red onion and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring regularly until softened.

While the onion is cooking, peel and chop the 3 remaining garlic cloves. Measure 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper and the sugar, and into a small bowl. Add the chopped garlic, half a teaspoon of rosemary and half a teaspoon of thyme, all to the frying pan and stir for 1 minute.

Put the chestnut mushrooms into a food processor and whizz until very finely chopped. Tip them into the pan and increase the heat to high and cook until softened and all the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes.

Pour the white wine into the pan and stir it around for about 3 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has cooked off. Tip the mixture into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool for about 5 minutes.

Put the chestnuts, pecans, and bread into the food processor and whizz until they look like bread crumbs (you may need to do this in batches). Add to the bowl from earlier with the onions in. With a wooden spoon, thoroughly stir everything together until you have a thick dough-like mixture.

Lay one pastry sheet onto another lined baking tray. Spread half the chestnut mixture lengthways down the middle of the pastry sheet. Use your hands to mould it into a rectangle shape with a flat top, leaving at least a 3cm gap on all 4 sides. This shape will dictate the shape of the Wellington so make sure it's nice and straight and level on top.

Place the 4 cooked Portobello (large, flat) mushrooms neatly on top of the chestnut mixture, stems facing up, making sure the sides of the mushrooms don't hang off the edges. Layer the rest of the chestnut mixture over the top, encasing the mushrooms. Smooth and shape into a neat, long, rectangular mound.

Using a pastry brush or your finger, brush a little bit of plant-based milk around the exposed pastry edge. Lay the second pastry sheet over the mushroom filling and press it all down well, ensuring there are no air bubbles. Seal the edges by pushing down all the way round the filling with your fingers. Trim any excess pastry from the edges, making sure you leave a 1 and a half cm crust around the base of the Wellington. Set the excess pastry aside for later. Use a fork to crimp all around the edges of the pastry to firmly seal the Wellington and to make it look nice.

Roll out the excess pastry if necessary and use a pastry cutter to cut out shapes. Brush the Wellington lightly with the plant-based milk and decorate the top with the pastry shapes. Brush the shapes with the plant-based milk. Pierce some air vents in the top of the Wellington with a fork or a sharp knife.

Put the Wellington in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, checking after 30 minutes (if it looks ready, remove it from the oven). Use a bread knife to carefully cut the Wellington into slices and serve.