Recipe of the week: Aimee Ryan's veggie wellington

Taken from Great British Vegan, by Aimee Ryan (White Lion Publishing, £20)

 

Serves 6

• 1x320g sheet of vegan puff pastry
• 4tbs aquafaba or unsweetened dairy-free milk, for glazing

 

For the pâté

• 1tbs dairy-free butter, plus extra for greasing
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1tsp miso paste
• 1tbs balsamic extract
• 1 large handful spinach or kale, washed and chopped
• 100g walnuts

 

For the filling

• 1tbs vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1tsp yeast extract
• 120g shiitake or chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 small cooked beetroot, roughly chopped
• 2tsp dried mixed herbs
• 1x400g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 125g cooked rice
• 40g porridge oats
• 4-6tbs plain flour
• Sea salt and ground black pepper

 

This is admittedly a bit time- consuming and a little fiddly, but the effort is worth it for that classic wellington look, with a pink centre, surrounded by mushroom pâté and a crisp, buttery puff pastry casing.

 

Make the pâté. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion and mushrooms for five minutes, until softened. Add the miso paste and vinegar and cook for a further five minutes, until everything is dark and sticky. Stir in the spinach and leave to wilt. Remove from the heat and put in a food processor along with the walnuts. Blitz to a smooth pâté.

 

Preheat the oven to 200ºC fan/220ºC and grease a roasting tray with butter.

 

Next make the filling. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion and garlic for five minutes, until softened. Add the balsamic vinegar, yeast extract and mushrooms then cook for a further eight minutes until brown and sticky. Mix with the rest of the ingredients, season and use a masher to combine everything together into a thick, chunky mixture. You can also pulse in a food processor. Shape the filling into a large log shape, the length of the short side of the pastry sheet.

 

Unroll the pastry and spread over a thick layer of the pâté, the width of the log. Place the log on top and cover it with the rest of the pâté. Don’t worry if it looks messy!

 

Gently pull the puff pastry up and around the log, tucking in the edges of the pastry as you go so it is completely covered. Seal the two ends together with aquafaba or milk, then turn the wellington over so that the seal is hidden underneath. Brush the whole log with aquafaba or milk to glaze and use any excess pastry to decorate the top and glaze that too. Bake for 25 minutes until puffed and golden.

 

Allow to cool slightly before cutting into 2.5cm thick slices to serve.

 

Photography by Jamie Orlando Smith Photography