Vegetarian mains
Mushroom, lentil & red wine wellington
An ideal veggie centrepiece to your Christmas feast. The cooking is simple and speedy, but you need to give the filling time to cool - it makes working with the pastry much easier. If practical, it’s worth getting all the elements ready the day before. It gives them time to cool, leaving you to just wrap and bake on Christmas morning. It’s easily made vegan by using vegan pastry and brushing the top with a little oil in place of the egg.
Ingredients
- 4 large Portobello mushrooms
- 1 onion, finely dice
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery stick, finely dice
- 1 tin cooked dark/puy lentils
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 100ml red wine
- 300g puff pastry
- 150g baby spinach
- 1 egg, beaten
Method
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Step 1
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Toss the mushrooms in a roasting tray with 2 tbsp of oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Bake for 20 mins. Remove from the tray and place in the fridge to cool quickly. Clean the tray.
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Step 2
While the mushrooms roast, warm 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan and cook the onion, carrot and celery over a medium heat for 10 mins, until starting to soften.
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Step 3
Meanwhile, drain and rinse the lentils in a sieve.
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Step 4
Add the garlic, rosemary, lentils, soy sauce and red wine to the veg, along with 100ml of water. Cook over a medium heat for 10 mins, until most of the liquid has disappeared and the lentils have become mushy. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pop into the fridge to cool.
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Step 5
Roll out the pastry into a rectangle about 3mm thin, roughly the size of an A4 sheet. Lay it on the clean baking tray and return it to the fridge to stay cold.
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Step 6
Wash the spinach. Place it in saucepan over a high heat until just wilted, about 30 secs. Cool immediately under cold water. Drain, squeeze out any excess water, and roughly chop it.
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Step 7
To build the Wellington, spread the cooled lentil mix evenly over the pastry, leaving a 2cm gap along one long edge. Place the mushrooms, stems up, in a line down the centre and pack them with chopped spinach. Brush the exposed pastry edge with a little water. Gently lift it up and over to completely encase the mushrooms, pressing the damp edge down to seal. Crimp the open ends closed. Brush with a little beaten egg and lightly score the top with a sharp knife. Cut 2 or 3 vent holes in the top to let the steam escape. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 mins, until golden and cooked through.