- Serves: 10
- Time to make: 75 – 90 minutes
For the beetroot filling:
For the beetroot filling:
140g/1/2 pack of Merchant Gourmet cooked quinoa
50g breadcrumbs
135g ground almonds/almond meal
450g beetroots, washed well and peeled
200g/1 pack Merchant Gourmet chestnut puree
200g/1pack Merchant Gourmet cooked lentils
100g ground flaxseeds
20 sage leaves, washed and chopped
a small bunch of fresh parsley, washed and finely chopped4 tsp onion powder
4 tsp ground cumin
1tsp dried thyme
4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
For the mushroom layer:
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 175g chestnut mushrooms, washed and finely chopped
- 1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 garlic, peeled and minced
- 1tsp tamari sauce
- 1 pinch of thyme
For the pastry:
- 2x320g ready rolled (vegan) puff pasty
- Approximately 80ml of almond or oat milk
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- Olive oil (optional)
- Pink peppercorns for decoration (optional)
In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, breadcrumbs and ground almonds using a wooden spoon, until nicely combined.
Chop the beetroot into small chunk and, together with the chestnut puree and lentils, blend in a food processor until a thick puree has been formed. Add this puree as well as all the other filling ingredients to the quinoa, breadcrumb and ground almond mixture and stir until fully combined.
Shape the mixture into a long log, using once of the dough sheets as a measure – you should leave a generous border of at least 6 centimetres between the log and the edges of the dough sheet. Put the beetroot shaped mixture on a non-stick baking sheet and place in the fridge for 30 minutes so it sets and firmly holds together.
As the beetroot mixture is setting in the fridge make your mushroom layer, by placing a frying pan with the olive oil over a medium heat, once hot, add the onion and pan fry until translucent, about 7 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and garlic and pan fry until the mushrooms are cooked through and most of the moisture has evaporated, stirring frequently. Then, add the tamari and thyme, remove from the heat and set aside.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Place a puff pastry sheet on a baking tray lined with grease proof, non-stick paper. Spread the mushroom in the centre of the puff pastry, allowing for generous borders on each side (at least 5cm!). Place the shaped beetroot mixture on top of the mushroom mixture, again allowing for generous borders of puff pastry. Place the second sheet of puff pastry over the beetroot shaped log and gently press the pastry around the log so that it fits around it nicely. There should be quite a bit of pastry in access. Trim this off and then – having allowed a very generous border – press the two puff pastry sheet edges together, using a fork. This also creates a lovely decorate pattern. Use the leftover pastry to create a pastry few stars. Brush the entire uncooked wellington with oat or almond milk, especially the edges, as this will glue them together and avoid the pastry splitting open. Next, gently press the stars into the wellington, brush with a little bit of olive oil (optional) and bake for around 30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
Serve warm with seasonal veg, gravy and cranberry sauce.
Recipe created by Merchant Gourmet, www.merchant-gourmet.com

