Veggie Wellington

I've always thought that a nut roast can be a bit hit or miss but wrap it in pastry and you immediately transform it into something utterly delicious. I know it's just a huge vegan sausage roll really, but there's nothing wrong with that.   

INGREDIENTS

1  nut roast (1lb loaf tin) (see recipe here) 

500g puff pastry, ready rolled

2 courgettes, thinly sliced

2 egg yolks

pinch of salt

for the duxelle

400g mushrooms

50g butter 

2 eschallion shallot, finely chopped 

15g chopped fresh thyme leaves

120ml white wine

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to tase

Method

Chop the mushrooms as finely as possible. You could use a food processor on pulse but be careful not to mush the shrooms too much and end up with just a soggy pulp. 

Next, in a large frying pan on a medium heat melt the butter. Add the mushrooms, shallot and thyme. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook until the excess liquid had gone. 

Add the white wine, and continue to cook until it has also evaporated.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Next, in the same frying pan, gently fry the thin slices of courgettes to soften them. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.  

Roll out a sheet of clingfilm and arrange the courgette slices side by side, enough to cover the length of the nut roast.  Then spread over the courgettes (and more) the mushroom duxelle, enough to cover the entire nut loaf. 

Place the nut roast on top of the mix, at one edge, and carefully roll it up, wrapping the mixture all around it. Place the wrapped nut loaf in the fridge for half an hour to settle.

Pre-heat the oven to 220C.  

Roll out the pastry. There's no need to use a roller pin as you'll lose the benefit of shop bought ready rolled puff pastry with all its layers.

Peel the clingfilm off the nut roast and place it, courgette layer down, onto the pastry. Gently lift the pastry and wrap snugly, as not to create any air pockets. Fold and cut excess pastry to seal the covering.

Brush the pastry with the egg yolk. 

Score the pastry with the blunt edge of a knife, being careful not to cut the pastry, to create any pattern you wish. Brush again with some egg yolk. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  

Serve a thick slice with a red wine gravy.