VEGGIETASTIC

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Vegetarian wellington

Serves 8

Create a vegetarian centrepiece with this meat-free wellington with beetroot, mushroom and butternut squash wrapped in pastry. It's ideal for a celebration

Ingredients

• 500g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• small bunch sage, leaves finely chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 500g closed cup mushrooms, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 150ml double cream
• 200g fresh breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp ground mace
• 150g cooked chestnuts, chopped
• whole nutmeg, for grating
• 500g block puff pastry
• plain flour, to dust
• 6-8 cooked beetroot (similar sized- about 400g)
• 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds or poppy seeds, to decorate

Method

STEP 1

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the squash with 1 tbsp oil, half the sage and some seasoning. Tip onto a baking tray and roast for 25 mins until tender.

STEP 2

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the shallots for 10 mins until tender. Add the mushrooms and fry for 15 mins until softened, and the liquid has evaporated.

STEP 3

Add the garlic and remaining sage to the mushrooms, fry for a minute, then add the double cream. Stir until it coats the mushrooms and no liquid remains. Fold in the breadcrumbs, mace, chestnuts and roast squash. Season everything well, adding a grating of nutmeg. Leave to cool before assembling the wellington.

STEP 4

Roll the pastry out on a floured work surface to a 35 x 45cm rectangle. Transfer to a large parchment-lined baking sheet with one of the long lengths of the pastry facing towards you. Spoon the mushroom and squash mixture down the length of the pastry, leaving a 7cm border along the top and 1cm on both sides. Brush all the exposed pastry with beaten egg.

STEP 5

Put the beetroots in a line down the middle of the filling – they should be touching. Fold the filling-covered, long length of the pastry over the beets, using the paper to help you. Roll up and trim the pastry with a knife when it’s overlapping by 1cm.

STEP 6

Place the wellington seal-side down, and pinch the ends to seal. Egg wash the whole thing and use a fork or blunt cutlery knife to score the pastry in a pretty pattern. Chill until for at least 30 mins, or up to 24 hrs.

STEP 7

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush the wellington with more beaten egg, sprinkle with the sesame or poppy seeds and bake for 45-50 mins until golden brown and puffed up. Leave to rest for 10 mins before carving into chunky slices with a sharp knife to serve

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking