Packed full of seasonal texture and flavour the Roast veg, Chestnut, Pesto and Goats Cheese Wellington main course is a celebration of all things plant based. It can be made a day or two in advance and either cooked or reheated on the day and will add the vegetarian ‘wow’ factor to your Christmas table. It pairs beautifully with red cabbage and roast potatoes and it also makes a divine leftover lunch for St. Stephen’s Day as the flavours intensify. That is if there are any leftovers!
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 250g raw beetroot peeled and cut into small chunks
- ½ butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 1 courgette sliced into rounds
- 2 fat garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2 tbsp good rapeseed oil I use Second Nature Organic Rapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp picked thyme leaves
- 180g Pesto Rocket & Garlic Pesto 180g
- 250g cooked Puy lentil or Epicure’s Organic Bijoux Lentils
- 180g fresh chestnuts (cooking nstructions below) or whole cooked chestnuts roughly chopped Cueillette Descours Organic Cooked Chestnuts 200g
- 1 x 320g packs ready-rolled butter puff pastry
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
- 100g Soft goat’s cheese broken into small pieces I use St. Tola
- Flaky sea salt Irish Atlantic sea salt flakes
Method
An easy nut to crack.
Roasting chestnuts is really easy and adds enormous rich flavour to this dish. It’s quick, easy and can be done well in advance.
1. Make a small X cut in the chestnut to pierce the skin.
2. Place the chestnuts in simmering salted water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the water.
4. Place on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven 230° for 15 minutes.
5. Remove and allow to rest in a bowl for 15 minutes with a tea towel covering it. The skin will then peel off easily and you will have beautifully roasted chestnuts.
6. Discard the skins and chop the nuts roughly.
Wellington Method
1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/ Gas 5.
2. Toss the onion, beetroot, squash and garlic in a roasting tin with the oil, thyme leaves, salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 45 mins adding the chopped courgette in for the last 10 minutes. The veg should be tender but still retain their shape
4. Allow to cool. Squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins and add into the veg mixture.
5. Add the lentils, chestnuts and broken up goats cheese to the veg mix and stir gently.
6. On a lightly floured surface, open the sheet of puff pastry.
7. Spread the pesto onto the pastry sheet leaving a one inch border free on the outside of the pastry sheet.
8. Add the roast veg mix and spread out over the pesto.
9. Mix the egg and milk together. Brush all the borders with half the egg mix.
10. Fold the top edge of the pastry down to cover top half of the veg mix. Fold the bottom edge of the pastry up to sit on the top pastry sealing the roulade. Seal in the pastry edges at both end. Carefully turn the wellington over so that the seal is now on the bottom and place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.
11. Brush the entire pie with the egg wash. Gently score the top with a sharp knife 1/2mm deep to create a nice pattern. Chill for at least 1 hr, or cover with cling film and leave overnight. If freezing, cover and freeze on a lined baking tray for up to 3 months.
12. Bake for 30 mins from chilled or 45 mins from frozen until crisp and golden. Scatter over extra thyme and some flaky sea salt.
13. Slice and serve.
