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José Pizarro’s wild mushroom and chestnut Wellington
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 3 banana shallots, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 600g seasonal mushrooms, such as chanterelles, black trumpet or porcini, finely chopped
- 300g cooked chestnuts, finely chopped
- 5tbsp breadcrumbs
- 5tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 x 320g sheets all-butter puff pastry
- plain flour, to dust
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
For the salad
- 4 white chicory heads
- 1 orange, segmented
- 25g toasted walnut pieces
- juice 1⁄2 lemon, to drizzle
- 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the shallots for 10 minutes or until softened. In two batches, fry the mushrooms and garlic for 10 minutes, until golden and tender. Mushrooms have a high water content and you want to drive off all the surplus moisture as it would be bad news for your pastry. When done, combine both batches, season well and stir in the chestnuts, breadcrumbs and parsley. Allow to cool.
Heat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 6. Unravel one of the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Spoon the cooled mushroom and chestnut mix on top, moulding it into a large sausage to keep it contained.
Brush the edges around the
filling with egg, then layer the
second puff pastry sheet on top,
pressing well around the filling to
seal. Trim the edges and crimp
with your index fingers. Gently
lift and place on a baking sheet,
then brush all over with egg.
Prick the pastry with a fork to allow the steam to escape, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden.
Meanwhile, toss the chicory with the orange segments and walnuts. Drizzle with a little lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil and season. Serve the Wellington, sliced, with the salad.
TIP: If not baking the Wellington immediately, chill it for 24 hours, then bake from chilled.
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