Recipe courtesy of Push Doctor and Kevin Rivers, head chef at vegetarian restaurant, 1847
Veggie Wellington
The nice thing about Christmas dinner is a lot of it is already vegetables. As a vegan, what you need is an alternative to turkey that’s equally delicious and still looks spectacular.
This Veggie Wellington is just what you need. It’s easy to make (you can use ready-made pastry) and is bursting with different flavours and textures. Even meat-eaters will love it!
Ingredients
250g tinned lentils
180g whole cooked chestnuts
1 red onion
50g fresh cranberries
½ a butternut squash
2 garlic cloves
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 cavolo nero, blanched
100g kale
1 pack of ready-roll puff pastry
Juice of ½ a lemon
Soya spread
Method
Heat the oven to 200C.
Dice the butternut squash and chop the onion.
Add it to a roasting tin along with the whole garlic cloves, thyme and three tablespoons of olive oil.
Roast for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but still holding their shape.
Add the lentils and half the chestnuts, remove a garlic clove to use in your pesto and leave the mixture to cool.
Boil the kale for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Run it under cold water to cool it, then squeeze out any excess water.
Put the kale, garlic, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the rest of the chestnuts in a food processor.
Blitz to form a thick pesto.
On a floured table, lay a pastry sheet out.
Spread over a layer of pesto, then add a layer of cavolo nero, followed by a layer of veg and lentils.
Brush the edges of the pastry with soya spread, roll it over and tuck in the ends.
Lightly brush the top with soya spread and chill for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven up to 220C.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve with vegan gravy.