VEGAN BEETROOT WELLINGTON

Serves: 8 Prep: 45_mins Cook: 30_mins

Info

An indulgent, veggie, take on the popular classic, Beef Wellington made with beetroot. Packed with flavour and an array of nutrients and vitamins, without any compromise on taste.

Ingredients

For the Beet Filling

2 tbsp olive oil

3 shallots, finely diced

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

75g toasted walnuts

1 large roasted beetroot

250g Biona Organic Tofu, drained and dried

¼ tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp Biona Organic Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp Biona Organic Maple Agave Syrup

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 tbsp flour

3 packs Biona Organic Mushroom Burger, mashed together

1 sheet vegan puff pastry

4 tbsp plant milk

Black sesame seeds, to garnish

For the Gravy:

2 tbsp olive oil

3 shallots roughly diced

2 cloves garlic sliced

1 carrot roughly diced

2 celery sticks roughly diced

15 g dried porcini mushrooms well rinsed

4 chestnut mushrooms sliced

1 beetroot peeled and sliced

3 sprigs thyme

3 sprigs rosemary

1 bay leaf

1 tsp red miso paste

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

240 ml red wine

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp corn flour dissolved in 1 tbsp of water

Method

To make the filling, heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the finely diced shallots and fry on a low-medium heat until soft and translucent. Add the chopped garlic, rosemary and thyme, gently fry for a few minutes until softened and fragrant. Allow the mixture to cool.
Heat up the oven to 180°C ( 160°C fan) and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until fine, then set aside.
Add the beetroot to the food processor and process until finely shredded. Then add the drained tofu, onion and garlic mixture, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, maple agave syrup, salt and pepper. Process until everything blends together.
Finally add in the flour and ground walnuts. Process once again.
Empty the mixture onto the prepared tray and form into a compact, uniform log with a spatula or your hands (around 16 cm long).
Bake for about 30 minutes and allow it to cool down.
To make the gravy, heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Once the oil comes to temperature, add the roughly diced shallots, garlic, carrot and celery sticks. Sauté on a low-medium heat gently until caramelised, stirring often.
Next add in the porcini and button mushrooms, beetroot, herbs, bay leaf, miso paste, nutritional yeast, wine and 240 ml of water.
Allow the mixture to simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
Season with salt, black pepper and sugar (if needed). Set aside for the flavours to infuse (ideally overnight if you have time).
Strain the mixture and squeeze all of the juice out of the veggies.
Return the liquid to a small pot. Taste and season to taste.
Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer. Thicken it a little by whisking the cornflour slurry in slowly while it simmers. Set aside.
Allow the roll of puff pastry to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling it out and assembling your dish.
Heat up the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) and prepare a small baking tray.
Place the sheet of pastry in front of you so that the longer edge runs parallel to the work bench. Trim off a thin strip to use for decoration.
Designate an area in the middle of the pastry that is of the same size as the base of your beetroot log. Place a compact layer of half the mashed mushroom burgers in that area.
Place your beetroot log onto the mashed burgers.
Using a spatula or your hands, cover the log with the rest of your mushroom burgers, making sure you compress the mixture gently as you go along (so that it doesn’t fall off the log).
Brush the pastry border with a small amount of plant milk, then roll the bottom edge of the pastry over the top of the beetroot. Pull back the paper and continue to carefully roll the pastry until the filling is completely enclosed, pressing the edges together to seal. With the seam-side facing down, tuck in the sides, folding in the excess pastry to form a sealed parcel.
Brush the Wellington with the remaining plant milk and scatter over the sesame seeds. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out stars from the reserved pastry strip. Brush one side with a little plant milk and stick on to the top of the Wellington. Brush the tops of the stars with the plant milk..
Bake for about 35 minutes, until the pastry is beautifully puffed and golden. Serve with your favourite sides, the beet gravy on the side and enjoy!