Serve this meat-free main as part of your Sunday roast spread. It also makes a great centrepiece showstopper for Christmas and Easter.
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Yields:
4
Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 25 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 10 mins
Cal/Serv:
566
Ingredients
For the wellington
1
small cauliflower with leaves, about 800g
1Tbsp.
olive oil
500g
block puff pastry
Plain flour, to dust
For the duxelles
250g
chestnut mushrooms
25g
butter
2
echalion shallots, finely chopped
6
thyme sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped
1Tbsp.
red wine vinegar
25g
vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated
1
medium egg, lightly beaten
You will also need
31/2
cm holly cutter
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan) mark 7. Remove the cabbage leaves and set aside. Trim the cauliflower stalk to create a flat base. Transfer cauliflower to a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and season well. Roast for 45min until golden and tender, then leave to cool completely on the baking sheet.
Step 2Meanwhile, make the duxelles. Whizz the mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped. Melt butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and fry for 10min, until softened. Add the garlic and fry for 1min, until fragrant. Add the mushrooms with plenty of seasoning, increase heat to medium-high and fry for 10min, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are cooked and all moisture has evaporated. Add the thyme and vinegar and bubble for 1min until the vinegar has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir through the cheese. Set aside to cool.
Step 3Cook the reserved cabbage leaves in a large pan of boiling water for 2min, drain thoroughly, pat dry with kitchen paper and set aside to cool.
Step 4Using a small sharp knife, cut out and discard most of the cauliflower core (making sure you keep the florets attached). Cover the cauliflower all over with the cooled duxelles, pressing lightly to stick. Wrap the cauliflower with enough cabbage leaves to cover the duxelles. Wrap tightly in clingfilm and chill for 30min.
Step 5Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Divide pastry in 1/2 and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece to a rough 28cm square, 3mm thick. Transfer 1 pastry square to the lined baking sheet.
Step 6Unwrap clingfilm and sit the cauliflower in the middle of the pastry on the baking sheet. Brush visible pastry around the base of cauliflower with egg. Lay the second pastry square over the cauliflower, working out any air pockets, and press pastry edges to seal. Trim pastry, leaving a 5cm border around the cauliflower base (reserve trimmings for decoration). Crimp pastry edges with a fork and brush all over with egg.
Step 7Roll out pastry trimmings to 3mm thick and stamp out enough holly leaves to cover the top of the cauliflower. Stick on top, pressing gently to seal. Chill for at least 30min (up to 24hr).8 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Brush the holly leaves with more egg and cook the wellington for 35-40min until pastry is risen and golden. Serve.
Get ahead Prepare to end of step 7 up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. Complete recipe to serve.
Grace is Good Housekeeping’s Senior Cookery Writer, serving up delicious food and drink content. Grace was trained at Leiths Cookery School and worked as a chef in some of London’s most exciting restaurants before starting at Good Housekeeping. When she isn’t eating and drinking her way through London's restaurants, you’ll find her attending music gigs and binge-watching the newest TV shows.
