I am sure youโve noticed that I have already transitioned into the festive season. Yes, our Christmas tree has been up for a whole week already and every night when I see those twinkly Christmas lights, my heart feels happy. Apart from being a hopeless romantic, I am also a sucker for Christmas, which is why I could not wait to share this recipe โ one of many Christmas-themed recipes to come this month โ with you.
In South Africa, most of us are fond of freshly baked bread or any form of pastry for that matter. This Festive Mushroom Wellington recipe from the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association should really fit any occasion, but the cleverly added Cranberry Sauce is bound to add some Christmas spirit to it, making it the perfect recipe for Christmas Day.
Festive Mushroom Wellington & Cranberry Sauce
Serves 8
Ingredients
Mushroom filling:
2 large brown onions, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
750g mixed cultivated mushrooms
4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely diced
1 cup pecan nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted & roughly chopped
ยฝ cup breadcrumbs
8 large portobello mushrooms
2 x 250g all butter flat puff pastry sheets
Flour, for dusting
1 large egg, whisked with a splash of water
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cranberry sauce:
360g frozen cranberries
150g / ยพ cup sugar
125ml / ยฝ cup water
30ml / 2 Tbsp orange juice
1 cinnamon stick
Pinch of salt
READ: Make your own Mini Mushroom Wellingtons
Method
For the Cranberry Sauce:
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries are broken down and a jam-like consistency.
Switch off the heat until serving.
For the Mushroom Wellington:
Preheat oven to 220หC.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions until tender and lightly golden. Just before the onions are done add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Transfer into a bowl to cool.
Place the mushrooms in a food processor and blitz into small chunky pieces.
You want a little texture to the filling.
Working in batches, sautรฉ the mushrooms, adding olive oil when necessary.
Cook until they have released all their moisture and are โdry.โ
Add to the bowl with the onions. Allow to cool.
Fold in the rosemary, pecan nuts and breadcrumbs. Season and mix well.
Place the large portabello mushrooms on a wire rack on top of a baking tray.
Bake for 7 minutes until tender.
Allow the mushrooms to cool completely and keep them on the rack until cool as they will continue to release moisture.
Roll out the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface.
(You can also join the two sheets to make one large wellington but the smaller wellingtons are easier to move around as the mushroom filling is more fragile than a normal wellington)
Scoop a quarter of the filling onto each sheet of pastry.
Top with 4 whole portabellos per sheet. Keep them neatly and closely packed together.
Divide the remaining filling over the mushrooms to enclose the portabellos.
Working quickly, fold up the pastry sheets around the mushrooms into logs, stretching and tucking as you go. Brush the seams with egg wash to seal. Trim off any excess pastry.
Place the wellingtons onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, seam side down.
Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes until the pastry is firm and cool.
Preheat oven to 200หC.
Remove the wellingtons from the fridge and score the pastry with a sharp paring knife.
Create a pretty pattern by gently scoring the puff pastry but not going all the way through.
Brush all over with the egg wash.
Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes until deeply golden brown and the pastry is cooked through.
Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Reheat the cranberry sauce.
Slice the wellingtons and serve with a generous dollop of cranberry sauce on the side.
If you do use the recipe, take a photo and tag Suitcase & Chardonnay โ Iโd love to see it!
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