Thu, 13 December 2018
Juicy portabello mushrooms take center stage in this vegan mushroom wellington – a fun spin on the classic beef wellington for the alternative Christmas feast.
The secret to a deliciously juicy yet flaky Mushroom Wellington is to pat everything dry and make sure it is completely cold before wrapping it in your puff pastry.
Skip this step and your pastry is not only going to be soggy, and nobody likes a soggy bottom, but it will also tear when you try to wrap up your wellington. So let’s begin…
CARAMELISED RED ONIONS
olive oil 2 tablespoons
red onions 2, thinly sliced
olive oil 1 tablespoon
brown sugar 2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar 4 tablespoons
water ¼ cup
thyme leaves 1 tablespoon, chopped
METHOD
For the onions, heat olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until very soft and starting to caramelise (about 10 minutes). Add brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and water, reduce heat and cook until you have a jam-like consistency (about 15 minutes). Stir in thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper, then refrigerate to cool completely.
THE WELLINGTON
4 large portabello mushrooms stalks trimmed and cleaned
3 tbs olive oil
300 g baby spinach (10 1/2 oz)
4 sprigs of thyme leaves picked
1 puff pastry
1 tbs dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
Increase the heat to medium/high with the pan on the heat.
Add the some olive oil and place the mushrooms, top side down. Cook until lightly golden (about 5 minutes) before turning over and cooking for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat, and drain on paper towel top side up as they will release a lot of liquid as they cool.
Add the baby spinach to the pan and cook until wilted over the heat. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.
Transfer the onions, spinach and mushrooms to the refrigerator and cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit). Place a sheet of baking paper on the baking tray and then place the puff pastry sheet on top. Spread half the caramelised onions over the middle third of the pastry, making sure to leave an extra 2cm (3/4 inch) border at the edge of the pastry. Top with half of the baby spinach. Spread the dijon mustard over the mushrooms and season well with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms on top of the spinach. Top the mushrooms with thyme and the remaining baby spinach and onions.
Very carefully roll the pastry over the top of the mushroom mixture until you have a log. Press down to seal the edges. Roll over the log so that the seam is facing the bottom.
To make the eggless egg wash whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Very lightly coat with the vegan egg wash. Place the pastry in the freezer for 10 minutes before repeating with another layer of vegan egg wash and freezing the pastry for a further 10 minutes if you so wish , all this will do is ensure a good layer of glaze and give you that golden finish.
Place the pastry back on the baking sheet and tray and place in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden and flakey.
The mushroom wellington is best eaten as soon as it comes out of the oven as the pastry will start to soften as the mushrooms release their juices as they cool.
PLANT BASED EGG WASH
1 tbs almond/oat/cashew milk etc
1/2 tsp maple syrup or brown rice syrup
Served with roasted rosemary potatoes, roasted vegatables and garlic and cheese roasted brussel sprouts and a rich gravy.
How about that for a plant powered christmas feast!
Sun, 11 May 2025
Chef: Simon O'Connell
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