Vegetarian mains
Squash, mushroom & spinach Wellington
Special occasions definitely deserve a Wellington – this vegetarian version makes a fantastic centrepiece for Christmas, or any roast dinner. It not only looks great, but tastes beautiful, with sweet notes from squash and earthy umami flavours from mushrooms duxelles, made with dried mushrooms, chopped dates and pine nuts.
Nothing is particularly complicated about this dish, but there are quite a few components, so it’s important to give yourself enough time. Make it a day in advance and it'll be perfectly happy in the fridge overnight.
Cook's notes
Duxelles is a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms with onions and herbs. You can turn this part of the recipe into a mushroom patė too, by blitzing it, compressing into a tin and setting in the fridge.
Ingredients
For the Wellington
- 2 medium Butternut squash
- 500g puff pastry (2 sheets)
- 50g spinach
- 1 egg, whisked in a bowl with a touch of water & salt
For the duxelles:
- 450g Chestnut mushrooms
- 50g dried mushrooms, soaked & drained
- 1 white onion, peeled & finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped
- 30ml dry white wine
- 50g dates, roughly chopped
- 30g pine nuts
- 25g butter
- fresh sage
- fresh thyme
Method
To prepare the squash centre
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Step 1
Preheat your oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Cut both of your squash in half widthways: you want to use the ‘neck’ of the squash for this recipe, so cut the rounded bottom half off (save these for another recipe).
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Step 2
Peel the squash necks, then trim them so that they are roughly cylindrical. On a hot griddle pan, char them, rotating every few minutes, so they have deep black char lines all the way round. Roast for 25 minutes, until cooked but still firm in the middle. Refrigerate once cooked.
For the duxelles
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Step 1
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan, add the butter, then gently fry the onion until soft. Next add the garlic, mushrooms and dried mushrooms. Add the wine and simmer off the alcohol. Add the chopped dates, pine nuts and fresh herbs, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, refrigerate; the mix needs to be cool before you assemble the Wellington.
To make the Wellington:
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Step 1
Roll out the puff pastry: you should have one sheet for the base and one sheet to place over the top. Put a layer of spinach on the bottom (just a little wider than the width of the squash), then a layer of duxelles.
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Step 2
Place the squash necks on top, then pat more of the duxelles around the squash, pressing firmly so it stays in place. Layer with more spinach and then place the pastry on top.
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Step 3
Use your hands to press down around the shape of the filling, gently working the air out as you go, and press the pastry sheets together at the bottom. Cut off the excess trim. Gently brush the egg wash all over.
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Step 4
Bake in a preheated oven (180°C/Gas 4) for 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crispy.