Wellingtons

If you ask Craig what his favorite type of dinner is he will invariably say something with puff pastry. Over the years I have made Wellingtons with a number of different fillings, but find that Portabello mushrooms are the main ingredient. Sometimes they are stuffed with other veggies or a nut pesto or cheese. They have all turned out delicious! (I think shoe leather would even taste good if wrapped in puff pastry.)

Start by making a vegetable based coulis....I tend to use Red Peppers
Red bell peppers (or kale, spinach, tomato, squash)
Onion
Garlic
Vegetable broth

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until soft. Puree into a smooth liquid. This can be done ahead and reheated later when you plate the wellingtons.

Portabella Mushrooms
Roasted or steamed veggies (zucchini, bell peppers, etc)
Cheese or pesto or sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Garlic
Herbs (Basil, oregano, etc)
Salt and Pepper
Puff pastry, thawed
egg, beaten with a bit of water


Marinate the mushrooms with the vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until soft ~ 30-40 minutes.

Saute, roast or steam your other veggie. You can make a mix or pistachios with onion and mushrooms, steamed favorite veggie, simple marinara sauce. In this case I steamed zucchini.

Take a puff pastry sheet and cut it into squares ~ 5 inches. Place a mushroom cut in half on it. Add your cheese, sauces and veggies. Wrap pastry around trying to seal edges as much as possible. If your dough doesn't stretch it isn't thawed enough.

Using a knife take another piece of dough and cut slits in rows. This piece will provide a bit more structure and beautification. You can also cut a shape and place it on top...hearts, flowers.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place Wellingtons on cookie sheet and brush with the egg. Bake until nicely browned.

I usually make garlic mashed potatoes or a rice pilaf to go with this. I also serve it with some sort of green vegetable to compliment the red pepper sauce (asparagus is a favorite).

To serve: Place mashed potatoes/rice in the center of the plate. Add Wellington on top. Pour warm coulis around the Wellington structure and lay in a bit of your pretty vegetable. Enjoy!