Vegan Miso Mushroom

Vegan miso mushroom, Squash and chestnut Wellington

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (about 800g), peeled and deseeded
• Olive oil for drizzling and brushing
• 600g portobello or chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 50g walnut halves, chopped
• 180g bag vacuum-packed whole chestnuts, roughly chopped
• Large handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, stalks, and leaves chopped separately
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• 2 tbsp miso paste (see Know-how)
• 4 fat garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 dried prunes, chopped
• 3 tbsp Madeira (check the label to make sure it’s vegan)
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• ¼ tsp soy sauce, plus a splash
• 6 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
• 500g block puff pastry (check the label to make sure it’s vegan – we used Jus-Rol)
• Plain flour for dusting
• Sea salt flakes
• Large pinch of poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Cut the squash into 3cm chunks and toss in a large roasting tin with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until tender and lightly charred. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil in a separate roasting tin and roast alongside the squash for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the walnuts, chestnuts, chopped parsley stalks, thyme leaves, miso paste (see Know-How) and garlic. Roast for a further 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, Soak the dried prunes. Leave to cool.
4. Once the veg has cooled, add to the bowl of chopped dried prunes with the chopped parsley leaves, chives, soy sauce, and panko crumbs, then mix gently (see Tips).
5. Meanwhile, to make the pastry base, roll out one-third of the pastry block on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle roughly 16cm x 25cm. Put on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper, then lightly score a 2cm border around the edge. Score the pastry in a criss-cross pattern within the border, chill for 30 minutes, then bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and puffed. Gently press down the center if it puffs up too much (see Tips).
6. Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 24cm x 35cm rectangle (this will form the top). Spoon the vegetable filling onto the center of the baked pastry base and shape it into a thick cylinder within the 2cm border. Brush the edges of the pastry base with a little oil, then drape the uncooked pastry rectangle over the top of the filling, tucking in the edges underneath
   and making sure there are no air bubbles by smoothing it down gently with your hands. Brush with oil, then chill for 30 minutes.
7. Mix a splash of more oil with a dash of soy sauce, then brush over the pastry. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, freshly ground black pepper, and poppy seeds, then bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and puffed and the filling is hot. The Wellington will keep warm for 30 minutes or so.