serves
4
prep
20 minutes
cook
1:20 hour
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
1:20
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
Wellington
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 150 g shallots, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 350 g Portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
- 250 g mushroom plant-based meat (see Note)
- 150 g double cream
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- juice of ½ lemon
- 20 g fresh tarragon leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sheet (320 g) store-bought puff pastry
- 1 whole egg, whisked
Spinach pancakes
- 25 g unsalted butter, plus additional to cook the pancakes
- 250 g baby spinach
- 1 whole egg
- 70 g plain flour
- 160 g full cream (whole) milk
- 40 g buttermilk
- generous pinch salt
Chilling time: 2 hours
Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a large pan over moderate heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook gently until softened but not coloured, approx. 8-10 minutes. Add the Portobello mushrooms and cook until there is little moisture remaining in the pan, this can take approx. 10 minutes. Add the mushroom plant-based meat and the cream and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the mustard and lemon juice and cook until the mixture has thickened and reduced. Finely chop the tarragon leaves and stir into the mixture before seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and leave in the fridge, covered, to cool completely, at least 1 hour.
2. Lay out a double layer of cling wrap on a clean work surface. Tip the chilled mushroom mixture onto the bottom half of the cling wrap and shape it into a log shape. Working from the bottom, use the cling wrap to gently roll the mixture up to form a tight and compact roll. Twist the ends of the cling wrap to secure. Return to the fridge to chill and firm up. (You could even prepare up to this point ahead of time, even up to a day.)
3. At this time, make your spinach pancakes. Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the spinach over moderate heat until wilted. Transfer the cooked spinach onto a clean tea towel and ring out any excess moisture before finely chopping. Set aside. For the pancake batter, whisk the egg, flour, milk, and buttermilk together to a smooth batter. Add the cooked spinach and season with salt. Adding small amounts of butter to a clean, non-stick pan, cook the pancakes until they are all done, adding a small amount of butter between making each one. Set aside to cool.
4. To build the Wellington, roll the sheet of puff pastry out onto a sheet of baking paper (lightly dusted with a little flour) into a rectangle, approx. 35 x 28 cm. Lay the cooled pancakes on top of the pastry, slightly overlapping. Remove the cling wrap from the chilled mushroom log and place on top of the pancakes. Use the remaining pancakes to cover the mushroom mixture, ensuring it is completely encased. Working from the bottom up, roll the pastry around the mushroom log, leaving an area of pastry approx. 2 cm where the ends meet. Pinch the Wellington closed to seal completely and trim off any excess pastry. Use a fork to gently score the pastry and brush all sides of the pastry with the whisked egg. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. To cook, preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the Wellington - along with the baking paper underneath - onto a large baking tray. Bake for 35 minutes before removing and leaving to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
Note
• Mushroom plant-based meat can be purchased online and from some health-food shops.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
