Christmas Wellington with walnut pâté
Try this vegetarian Wellington recipe and enjoy layers of golden puff pastry, a hearty mushroom and thyme filling, and delicious walnut pâté. To make ahead and freeze, make the Wellington until end of step 3. Wrap the uncooked, assembled Wellington in foil and freeze. Defrost in the fridge overnight and bake the next day. Brush with beaten egg or plant-based milk and bake at 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6, following the instructions above. Recipe and image courtesy of Opies, bennettopie.com, @OpiesFoods
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 30 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Small onions (finely chopped)
- 3 Garlic cloves (minced)
- 150g Opies pickled walnuts (finely chopped)
- 150g Walnuts (raw or toasted)
- 2 tsp Fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp Breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 200g Mushrooms (finely chopped)
- 1 x Sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (about 320g; use plant-based to make vegan)
- Flour (for dusting)
- 1 1 egg, beaten, to glaze (use plant-based milk to make vegan)
Method
Step 1
Make the walnut pâté. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, then sauté 1 chopped onion and 2 minced garlic
cloves until softened. Put them into a food processor, along with the pickled walnuts, walnuts, 1 tsp of thyme, soy sauce or tamari, and breadcrumbs. Pulse until finely chopped but still textured. Season with salt and pepper.Step 2
For the Wellington, in the same pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté the other chopped onion, 1 clove of minced garlic, and mushrooms with 1 tsp thyme until all moisture evaporates and mixture is nicely browned. Let cool. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
Step 3
Roll out the puff pastry onto a floured surface. Spread the mushroom mixture evenly over the centre, leaving a border. Top with the walnut pâté. Fold the pastry over the filling to enclose completely, sealing edges with a little water. Trim any excess pastry.
Step 4
Place the Wellington seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush with beaten egg or plant-based milk and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and crisp. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
