Rick Stein’s Roast Butternut Squash Wellington with Porcini Gravy
Try this superb vegetarian alternative to beef Wellington this year from celebrity chef Rick Stein’s latest cookbook Christmas: Recipes, Memories & Stories for the Festive Season. “I would be quite happy with a veggie Christmas lunch if it included a butternut squash Wellington. For me, the beauty of most British roasts is really the accompanying vegetables.”
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By Sheridan Rogers
You will need to peel the butternut squash before proceeding. The easiest way is to pierce the skin in a few places with a knife, then place in the microwave. Cook on high for about 2 -3 minutes as this allows steam to form which helps to separate the flesh from the skin. Remove from the microwave, let cool, then use a vegetable peeler (a Y-shaped peeler is ideal), to remove the skin.
Ingredients
1 large butternut squash, peeled
1 large rosemary sprig
1 tbsp each of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and dark soy sauce
500g spinach, washed and drained
500g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Salt and black pepper
Mushroom duxelles
40g butter
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
400g chestnut mushrooms, very finely chopped in a food processor
1 tsp thyme leaces, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1 heaped tbsp miso paste
30g Parmesan cheese or a vegetarian equivalent, grated
Porcini gravy
30g butter
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 tsp plain flour
30g dried porcini mushrooms
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
150ml red wine
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp redcurrant jelly
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Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C. Slice the butternut squash in half lengthways, then cut off the bulbous end for soup or risotto. Place the two long halves on a baking tray on top of the rosemary. Mix the vinegar, oil and soy sauce together and brush over the squash. Roast for 30- 40 minutes until tender (the exact timing will depend on the size of the squash), then leave to cool completely.
While the squash is roasting prepare the duxelles. Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat for a few minutes to soften. Add the chopped mushrooms, thyme and chilli flakes then season with pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until the excess moisture has evaporated and you have a pate-like mixture. Stir in the miso and grated cheese and set aside to cool.
Put the washed spinach in ai wide pan over medium heat and allow it to wilt for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze it out really well to remove excess water – this is to prevent soggy pastry. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C. Cut the puff pastry in half and roll out into 2 rectangles 20 x 35cm. Transfer one rectangle to a baking tray lined with a sheet of parchment. Spread half the mushroom mixture over the pastry, leaving a border of 1.5cm all the way round, then top with the wilted spinach. Place the 2 pieces of roasted butternut squash esluitesnd to end on the spinach, making a long orange strip, then spread them with the rest of the mushroom mixture.
Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and top with the remaining pastry. Crimp the edges with your fingers or use the tines of a fork to seal the two layers. Brush all over with the rest of the egg. Cut 6 – 8 slits about 3cm long across the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.
Bake the Wellington for 40 -50 minutes until golden and crisp. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving in slices with the gravy.
Porcini gravy
Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion, carrot and celery. Fry gently over a medium heat for about 4 -5 minutes until starting to turn golden brown. Add the flour and stir for about a minute, then add the porcini mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf, red wine, soy sauce and 500ml water. Bring to the boil, the immediately turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 – 40 minutes. Strain the gravy through a fine sieve into a clean pan and season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the redcurrant jelly. Keep hot until ready to serve.
Rick recommends serving the Wellington with horseradish sauce “because, as with a Sunday roast, it’s the horseradish that makes all the difference to me.”
This is an extract from Rick Stein’s Christmas (Penguin Random House, RRP $60).
Image courtesy of James Murphy Photography.