Christmas Dinner Wellington Food

CHRISTMAS DINNER WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 mins until soft. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool.
• Cover a chopping board with cling film and place a chicken breast on top. Cover the chicken with more cling film. Use a rolling pin to gently bash the thicker part of the chicken until the whole chicken breast is an even thickness of about ½cm. Repeat with the remaining breasts.
• Mix the sausagemeat, herbs and breadcrumbs into the cooled onions. On your worktop, make a double layer of cling film, about 30 x 40cm in size. Lay the prosciutto on top, covering as much of the cling film's surface area as possible. Top with the chicken breasts, placing them to fit together (cut into smaller pieces if you need to) and arranging them to completely cover the prosciutto. Season the chicken.
• Cover the chicken with the sausagemeat mixture, spreading it right to the edges. Stir the cranberry sauce to loosen it, then spread over the sausagemeat. Roll the chicken up tightly from one of the longer sides (using the cling film to help you but keeping the cling film on the outside), encasing the fillings in a spiral inside. The prosciutto should be the outermost layer. Wrap the roulade in a large sheet of cling film and twist at the ends to seal, then freeze for 30 mins.
• On a floured surface, roll out one block of pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Unwrap the chicken roulade and place on top of the pastry. Trim the pastry to a rectangle, leaving 2-3cm all the way around the base of the roulade. Save the off-cuts for decorating the top.
• Roll out the second piece of pastry to the same thickness as the first. Whisk together the egg and extra yolk and brush a little around the edge of the pastry base. Drape the second piece of pastry over the roulade, moulding it tightly around the meat and pushing out any air pockets. Trim off any excess pastry, leaving a border of about 2cm.
• Crimp the border with your thumb and forefingers, or use a fork to press around the edge to seal (flour the fork if the pastry begins to stick). Brush the wellington all over with the egg wash. Use the reserved pastry off-cuts to decorate the wellington as you like, or score through the top layer with a sharp knife. Cover and chill for at least 1 hr, or for up to 48 hrs. Can be frozen at this stage for up to two months (defrost in the fridge before cooking). When you're ready to cook, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• If you have any egg wash left over, brush the wellington with a little more just before baking. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins until the pastry is golden and crisp. If you've previously frozen the wellington, make sure it's cooked through by poking a sharp knife into the centre and checking the tip comes out very hot. Serve with mash or roast potatoes, veg and gravy, if you like. Chicken is much juicier than beef, so have some kitchen paper to hand ready for when you cut into the wellington.

EASY VEGAN WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Put the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour over 500ml boiling water from the kettle. Stir and press them down so they're well covered, then leave to soak.
• Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the onion and chestnut mushrooms until the veg is very soft and the mushrooms look wilted and reduced, about 20 mins.
• Stir in the garlic and sweet potatoes, then the rehydrated mushrooms and their soaking liquid, leaving the last dregs of the liquid in the bowl (this may contain grit from the mushrooms). Cover and cook for 15 mins until the sweet potatoes are just softened, and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add a splash more water halfway through if the liquid evaporates too quickly.
• Remove the lid and stir in the chopped herbs, breadcrumbs, molasses, nuts and cranberries. Season well and sprinkle in the nutmeg. The mixture should be stiff enough to resemble stuffing, but not dry - all the breadcrumbs should be coated and have absorbed some of the liquid. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the pan.
• Once cool, unroll one of the puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured non-stick baking sheet or baking tray lined with baking parchment. Whisk the milk and mustard together with a pinch of salt and set aside.
• Spoon the cooled filling down the middle of the pastry sheet in a neat line, leaving a 5cm border around the edges. Use the mustard-milk mix to brush the borders, then top with the second pastry sheet. Press the pastry around the filling to remove any air pockets, then crimp to seal the sides. Trim off any excess pastry with a sharp knife and use a fork or your fingers to make a pattern around the edge of the wellington.
• Cut a small steam hole in the top of the middle, then brush the top with the mustard-milk mix. Chill on the sheet or tray for 30 mins. Will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the wellington from the fridge and brush with more of the mustard-milk mix. Score a pattern into the top of the pastry with a cutlery knife or fork, if you like, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden, puffed up and crisp - cover with foil if it's browning too quickly. Arrange the whole sage leaves on top of the wellington and stick them down with the mustard-milk mix, then return to the oven for 10 mins more.
• Leave to rest on a board or platter for 10 mins before cutting into chunky slices to serve.