Recipe Stuffed Roast Pumpkin Wellington
Soy-free option
Refined sugar free
Nut-free option
Freshly Picked
Baking
Holidays
Entertaining
Main meals
Would ya just look at that little pumpkin rainbow of joy? Rich, hearty, and delicious, this is a Christmas lunch centrepiece everyone can get around!
You will need
Serves 6
- 1/2 butternut pumpkin
- 20ml vegetable oil
- 1 packet vegan puff pastry
- 50g Dijon mustard, to coat
- Extra plant-based butter, to coat
For the mushroom layer
- 50g plant-based butter
- 1kg Swiss brown or chestnut mushrooms
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large sprig thyme
- 100ml dry white wine
- Pulp scooped out of the pumpkin (with seeds picked out)
- Salt and pepper
Stuffing
- 100g bulgur wheat
- 1 tablespoon bread crumbs
- 20ml olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 spring onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon dried currants
- 1 sprig rosemary, finely cut
- Salt and pepper
- 120 ml boiling water
Recipe: Simon Toohey
Directions
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Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
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Step 2
Use a spoon to scoop the seeds and pulp out of the pumpkin, then rub the pumpkin with oil and place it in a frying pan on high heat. Rotate the pumpkin occasionally, frying until all sides are browned. Remove from heat.
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Step 3
In the meantime, place the mushrooms and pulp from the pumpkin (remember to pick out the seeds!) into a blender or food processor, and pulse until they reach a mince-like consistency.
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Step 4
Melt the vegan butter in a frying pan on medium-high heat, then add the mushroom and pumpkin mixture, stirring occasionally.
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Step 5
After 5 minutes, add the diced garlic, thyme, and white wine. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated. (This is a really important step – it’ll help ensure the finished pastry is nice and crisp, not soggy!) Remove from the heat and let cool.
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Step 6
Onto the stuffing! In a medium-sized bowl, combine the olive oil, bulgur, garlic, onion, currants, rosemary, salt, pepper, and boiling water. Cover with a plate and leave to steam for 10 minutes.
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Step 7
Line a room-temperature baking tray with baking paper, then place a square of mostly-defrosted puff pastry flat in the middle. Form a rectangle of mushroom mixture down the middle of the pastry sheet – think of it like a mushroom mattress for the rest of your filling (pumpkin + suffing) to lie on top of!
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Step 8
Use a pastry brush to coat the pumpkin with dijon mustard, then stuff its scooped out centre with the bulgur stuffing mixture, making sure to pack it in tightly.
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Step 9
Place the pumpkin on top of the mushroom layer, with its cut side facing down. Then, gently drape another square of pastry over the pumpkin, making sure the whole stack of fillings is covered. (You can overlap an extra layer of pastry if there’s a gap left uncovered.)
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Step 10
Press around the base of the roast to seal the top and bottom layer of pastry together. Then, use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to trim off the excess pastry, leaving about a 1cm ‘frill’ around the roast. (Optional bonus step here!*)
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Step 11
Use a pastry brush to coat the roast all over with melted plant-based butter, making sure to get into all the cracks and crevices if you’ve added any extra pastry decorations. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the pastry is flaky and golden brown. Best served fresh out of the oven with vegan gravy!
Variation
*Bonus step if you want to make it extra pretty: Gently press all the way around the pastry frill with the back of a fork, and use your leftover pastry to create decorations for the top of your roast. Leaves are quite easy to do and can create a lovely festive effect! Just cut out a leaf shape, then use the tip of a knife to draw on the veins, and stick it wherever you want on the outside of your roast.
Hot tip!
This roast will be easiest to cut with a serrated bread knife – go for 2 cm slices so they’re nice and sturdy.
Recipe: Simon Toohey
