Wellington is a classic of British cooking: a centerpiece dish traditionally wrapped in puff pastry, and this vegetarian version brings that tradition to your holiday table. It includes beets, butternut squash, lentils and chestnuts all wrapped in wonderfully crisp pastry – no one will miss the meat.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Begin with the butternut squash. Place the diced squash onto a baking sheet and drizzle with some oil, Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Place into the oven and roast for 20 minutes until soft and cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened. To the softened onions, add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Next add the chopped cremini mushrooms and continue to cook these for 5–8 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and are beginning to caramelize.
Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the chopped sage and thyme leaves, followed by the cooked Puy lentils and heavy cream. Allow this to cook for 3 minutes, mixing well so everything is well combined. Remove from the heat and add the crumbled cooked chestnuts, Maldon salt, cracked black pepper and the cooked butternut squash. Set aside and allow to cool.
Once the mixture has cooled, you are ready to assemble.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry block until it is roughly a 12 x 16-inch rectangle and ⅓ inch thick. At this stage you want to carefully lift the rolled pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, spoon on the cooled filling and spread out evenly, leaving a 1-inch border along the top and a ½ inch border around the rest of the edges. Next, take the cooked beets and make sure they are dry of any excess liquid. Choose beets that are similar in size and place them in a row down the middle.
Take one of the long sides and lift it up and over the beets to enclose them. Pinch the pastry together at the seams and rest the whole wellington seam side down. Pinch the pastry at either end of the wellington also, and trim off any excess.
Use the excess pastry to create long strips and decorate the top of the wellington with a lattice pattern (basket-weave pattern you’d see on top of a classic pie) (optional). Brush the entire thing with the beaten egg.
Place the wellington into the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes (but the longer, the better) to chill.
When ready to bake, take your chilled wellington from the refrigerator and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp all over. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
