So we all know that beef wellington is quintessentially British. The brits love wrapping pastry around different fillings and meats (think sausage rolls, Cornish pasty’s etc) and the classic Beef Wellington is no exception. Traditionally it is made with a large chunk of beef tenderloin carefully packaged in fluffy pastry.
A little back story….
The Wellington was named after the Duke of Wellington whom defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815; however, there are a few different theories that gave this classic meal its name.
According to Gordon Ramsey Restaurants, these are three of the most popular theories:
1) Arthur Wellesley ‘s Chef was famous for making Wellington often.
2) The finished dish looks (kind of?) like a Wellington Boot.
3) The dish is originally French but was renamed during the war with France.
A presence in America?
Surprisingly, the dish also has laid down some roots in America as well. Many of the earliest references to the dish have come from the US! For instance the Los Angeles times mentioned it in 1903, and a guide to NYC restaurants mentioned it in1930. Furthermore, Julia Child featured the dish in 1965 on her famous show “The French Chef.”
veganising it
It is pretty obvious that dishe consisting of whole chunks of meat are the hardest to veganise.I have seen a few great “vegan steaks” made by Bosh! that rely on wheat gluten and other products to bind it together to create a meat-like consistency; however, I stuck to what I knew best! So I went to my go-to meat substitute whichI use for my bolognese and enchiladas consisting of onions, soaked walnuts, and mushrooms and added kidney beans, red wine, balsamic vinegar and miso for a rich flavour. The filling of this wellington is much more of a minced meat consistency than a slab of meat, but either way, it was delicious and a great vegan main for Sunday Roasts or Christmas Dinner!
mushroom wellington
Ingredients
- 1 sheet vegan puff pastry thawed in the fridge overnight.
- 30 ml olive oil or butter
- 650 grams mushrooms of choice
- 210 grams onion
- 120 grams walnuts
- 400 grams black or red kidney beans
- 1 tbsp rosemary chopped
- 14 grams garlic cloves
- 60 ml red wine
- 15 ml soy sauce
- 30 ml balsamic vinegar
- 15 grams miso paste
- 1 teaspoon mustard of choice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 30 ml non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Soak walnuts in a bowl of boiling water for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200 °C(390 °F) and prepare a baking tray by placing a sheet of parchment paper on to.
- Place onions and mushrooms in food processor and pulse until chopped evenly.
- Heat olive oil in large pan over medium-low heat and add in mushrooms and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until onions are golden brown and mushrooms have softened. As soon as the mushrooms have expressed their moisture, turn up to high heat to try to cook off the moisture.
- Meanwhile, drain and pulse the kidney beans in the food processor. You don't want it to be mushy but just chopped/ combined slightly.
- Then, once the walnuts are done soaking, drain and pulse in the food processor until small pieces remain. Add into the mushroom mix along with the beans, garlic, red wine, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, miso paste and mustard and mix to combine. Continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes until flavours are melded together and most of the moisture has evaporated.
- Unroll the puff pastry sheet onto the prepared pan. Spread the mushroom mixture in the centre, ensuring to leave an extra 2cm border at the edge of the pastry.
- Very carefully roll the pastry over the top of the mushroom mixture until you have a log. Pres down to seal the edges and roll the log so the seam is facing down.
- Score the puff pastry if desired with a knife in the desired pattern.
- Brush with non-dairy milk and place the pastry in the freezer for ten minutes prior to placing in the oven.
- Place the pastry in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden and flakey.
- Serve with all the roast fix ins and vegan gravy.
