Mashed Potato Stuffed Vegan Wellington Food

MASHED POTATO STUFFED VEGAN WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Set puff pastry out to thaw, if you haven't already.
• Make the mashed potato core. Add potatoes to a medium pot halfway with water and set over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Add potatoes to back to pan (off heat). Add 2 tablespoons soy milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. You want the potatoes to be rather stiff and moldable; if they need a bit more milk, add a teaspoon at a time until you're there. Set aside to cool enough to handle.
• Cook the veggies for the loaf. Set a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery along with a little pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for one more minute. Set aside.
• Mix together the remaining loaf ingredients. While the veggies and potatoes cook, mix together the rest of the loaf. To a large bowl, add the chickpeas and the tomato paste. Using a potato masher, mash the chickpeas and tomato paste together, leaving just a bit of chunkiness. Add the breadcrumbs, walnuts, soy sauce, flaxseed, mustard, onion powder, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Finish mixing and mash together the loaf. Add cooked veggies. Mix together with a wooden spoon, and then dig in with your clean hands! It's the best way to get this loaf together. Squish and smoosh the loaf together until the ingredients are incorporated and it holds together fairly easily.
• Form the loaf. Set a sheet of parchment paper on your kitchen counter and place 2/3 of the chickpea mixture on the paper. Form into a loaf about 12" long. Gently press a channel into the middle, being careful to keep the sides and bottom thick and sturdy, and taking care to seal any cracks that form.
• Add the potato core to the loaf. Remove the mashed potatoes from their pan and, with your hands, form a log with them approximately the same length as the loaf. Set the log into the loaf. You want the top of the log to be level with the sides of the loaf, so you may need to remove a few pinches of mashed potatoes to achieve that.
• Finish forming the loaf. With the remaining 1/3 of chickpea loaf mixture, form a "lid." I usually do this in 3-4 flat pieces, then just lay them over the top. Carefully shape the loaf around the potatoes, taking care to cover them completely. But it doesn't need to be perfect, really! Rustic is always good.
• Wrap with puff pastry. Set the puff pastry on another piece of parchment paper. Roll it out with a rolling pin if it needs to be a bit longer (it should be 2-3 inches longer than the loaf on either side). Carefully transfer the loaf to the center of the pastry, gently flipping the loaf over so the top side is face down. Wrap the pastry around the the loaf and press together to seal. Flip the loaf over so the top side is now up. Seal the sides by wrapping like a present - sides go in first, then the top and bottom. If necessary, wet your fingertips to get the puff pastry to seal.
• Decorate puff pastry. If desired, twist long lengths of pastry into "vines" or cut leaves or other shapes out of a second sheet of puff pastry to decorate the loaf. You can also use the tines of a fork to cut lines into the pastry. Optionally, brush with almond milk for a more golden appearance once baked.
• Bake. Transfer loaf, parchment paper and all, to a large rimmed baking sheet. Place in preheated oven and bake until golden brown, 30-40 minutes.
• Cool. Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
• Garnish. Transfer to a platter or wood board and tuck herbs around the edges of the loaf. Decorate with fresh cranberries.
• Serve. Slice with a serrated knife and pass vegan gravy alongside.

VEGAN ENCHILADAS STUFFED WITH GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add chiles and cook, turning constantly with tongs, until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, about 3 minutes. (Be careful not to burn chiles or they'll become bitter.) Transfer chiles to a medium bowl, leaving oil behind in skillet; reserve skillet. Pour 3 cups hot water (6 cups if doubling base recipe) over chiles and weigh down chiles with a smaller bowl to keep submerged. Let soak until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic, and salt in reserved skillet, stirring occasionally, until browned and slightly softened, 12-15 minutes. Add oregano and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to a blender.
• Add chiles and 1 cup chile soaking liquid to blender and purée, adding more soaking liquid if needed, until smooth. (If you don't have a high-powered blender, you may want to pass purée through a fine-mesh sieve.) You should have 2½ cups chile base. If you have less, add more chile soaking liquid and blend again to combine. Do ahead: Chile base can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool; transfer to an airtight container and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Purée chile base, canned tomatoes, and broth in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Partially cover (to avoid splattering) and bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until enchilada sauce thickens slightly and flavors meld, 18-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice ½" from top of garlic, exposing cloves. Set on a square of foil and drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Wrap up foil to encase garlic and bake until very tender, 50-60 minutes. Unwrap, let cool slightly, then squeeze out cloves into a medium bowl.
• Place potatoes in a medium pot and pour in cold water to cover by 2"; season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain potatoes and let cool slightly, then peel. Transfer to bowl with garlic and add nutritional yeast, mushroom powder (if using), cumin, 1 cup almond milk, and remaining ¼ cup oil; season with salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher or fork, adding up to ¼ cup more almond milk if needed, until smooth and creamy. Set potato filling aside.
• Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce in a 13x9" baking dish. Warm tortillas on a dry comal or an oiled griddle until pliable, about 30 seconds per side and set aside. Spoon ¼ cup enchilada sauce into a shallow dish. Dredge a tortilla in sauce on both sides to coat. Fill with ⅓ cup reserved potato filling and roll up tightly. Place enchilada, seam side down, in baking dish. Repeat process with remaining tortillas, using more sauce as needed and packing enchiladas tightly into baking dish. Spoon more sauce over, reserving some for serving. Cover enchiladas with foil and bake until warmed through, 12-15 minutes.
• Uncover and top with white onion, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Serve with remaining enchilada sauce alongside. Do ahead: Enchilada sauce can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool; transfer to an airtight container and chill, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat before using.

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.