Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
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Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
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Ingredients
15g dried porcini
600g mixed mushrooms (we used chestnut, shiitake and oyster)
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
100g young spinach
200g cooked bulgur wheat (about 75g dried)
180g cooked, peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
50g dried cranberries
50g toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp chopped rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)
250g large chestnut mushrooms
2 x 320g sheets ready-rolled puff pastry*
plant-based milk, to brush
a pinch of ground turmeric
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Fully assemble the Wellington up to 24 hours ahead and chill. Add an extra 10-15 minutes baking time, from chilled.
Put the dried porcini in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes. Blitz the mixed mushrooms in a food processor until they are finely chopped.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the shallots and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelise. Drain the rehydrated porcini mushrooms (save the liquid to use in a soup or stew) and finely chop. Add to the pan along with the chopped mixed mushrooms and continue to fry for 5-6 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked and any liquid has evaporated. Add the spinach and continue to cook until the spinach has wilted.
Put the cooked bulgur, chestnuts, cranberries, pine nuts and rosemary in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Add the mushrooms and spinach, stir and season well.
Lay out a large sheet of foil and then place the mushroom mix in the centre and shape into a log. Bring the foil up to secure the shape and seal the edges. Chill until completely cold.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil and fry the whole large chestnut mushrooms for 5-6 minutes, until browned all over. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Unroll both sheets of pastry and leave on the paper. Remove the filling from the fridge and open the top of the foil, leaving the sides still covering the filling. Push the cooked mushrooms in along the centre of the log, stem side down.
Place one of the sheets of puff pastry on a large baking tray, still on its paper backing. Unroll the filling from the foil and push it onto the centre of the pastry with a spatula. Lay the other sheet of pastry over the top and shape around the filling with your hands. Seal both ends, trim the edges and crimp with a fork to seal. Lightly score the top and make a few pastry leaves with the offcuts. Whisk the milk with the turmeric and brush all over. Attach the leaves and glaze these. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, before transferring to a board to serve. *Check your pastry is vegan, if required.
It is usually the pastry base of a beef wellington that turns out to be soggy, as the juices from the beef and the mushroom filling tend to drip down onto the pastry as the wellington cooks. The first step to a crisper pastry is to make sure that the mushroom filling is cooked until all of the liquid has evaporated.
There's no need to peel off the skins or discard the stalks. Roast, grill or fry. In pasta sauces, stir-fries, risottos, soups - these chestnuts are very versatile.
Seared portobello mushrooms are layered with apple cider-caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms, which are seasoned with soy sauce for flavor and bolstered with walnuts for texture. The rich mushroom filling is vegan, and the entire dish can easily be made vegan, too.
But Kenji takes it one step further by wrapping the prosciutto, duxelles, and loin in filo dough before wrapping it in puff pastry. Why? Because filo is great at making packets that contain liquid, and that's great for keeping your puff pastry from getting soggy, one of the common problems with Beef Wellington. Genius.
Note that the skin is not poisonous, but depending on the intended use1 of the chestnuts, it's probably a good idea to really take the time to clean the nuts properly. If prepared right and still hot, the skin should come off easily. Think purée, desserts or marrons glacés.
Make ahead: The beef can be wrapped in the mushrooms and prosciutto up to 8 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated. To freeze, arrange pastry-wrapped beef Wellingtons on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours.
The only time I ever made wellington, I simply put a mixture of onions and bacon and cheese in place of the mushroom layer. I first sprinkled parmesan cheese. Then I put a layer of finely chopped sauteed onions and then crumpled cooked bacon.
The stacked tooth fungus Climacodon septentrionalis, is a parasitic fungus that can grow quite large in the space of a few months. They form a tight stack like pancakes on trunks of living trees like maples.
If you have insufficient moisture, as stated earlier, your mycelium growth will be stunted. However, if you have too much moisture, your mycelium will also be stunted, as it will suffocate. With too much moisture, your substrate will also have a higher risk of contamination from other organisms.
Water is running from your hand while squeezing the substrate: This means the substrate is too wet because too much water has been added. Add some more substrate and mix it well before checking again. It might need some time to take up the water.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper so it doesn't stick to the pan (and it makes cleaning easier). Place the desired amount of beef wellington on the lined baking sheet and loosely cover with aluminum foil, which ensures the puff pastry gets crispy without burning.
Your substrate should be slightly acidic, with a PH between 5 and 6.5. (Some mushrooms, such as oyster mushrooms, can withstand a PH of up to 8.) A minimum moisture content of 50-70% is essential for your substrate.
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Prep time: 25 mins
