Recently I was approached by Australian Mushroom Growers to join the Mushroom Masters Tournament of Taste. Mushroom Masters is an annual competition between select bloggers in Australia, Canada and the United States who each week come up with delicious recipes showcasing mushrooms as the key ingredient. As a huge mushroom fan how could I say no?
This week is the Dinner battle, and for dinner I wanted to come up with something that showcased the amazing flavour and versatility of mushrooms. To do this I created a Mushroom Wellington!
We are all familiar with Beef Wellington, but I thought a Mushroom Wellington was a great spin on an old classic. Even better it’s vegetarian, but more than that, with delicious and healthy mushrooms on centre stage it’s hearty enough to satisfy any meat eater. Portobello mushrooms surrounded by spinach and caramelised onions all encased in flaky and golden puff pastry. Yum!!!
Here are a few more reasons to enjoy mushrooms:
- Mushrooms are very low in calories mainly due to the fact they are 80 to 90% water
- They are high in potassium, which helps lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke.
- Mushrooms are low in sodium, plus their umami counterbalances saltiness and allows for less salt to be used in a dish without compromising flavor.
- They are high in copper which helps in the formation of red blood cells.
- Mushrooms are high in selenium – a powerful antioxidant that plays a role in immunity.
UPDATE: My Mushroom Wellington won the Mushroom Masters Dinner Duel. Thank you SO much to everyone who voted!!!
- 6 medium or 4 large portabello mushrooms, stalks trimmed and cleaned
- 3 onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 300g of baby spinach
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, partially thawed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) and place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When the pan has come up to heat add the onion and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When caramelised, remove the onions from the pan and set aside to cool.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the baby spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from the baby spinach from the pan and set aside.
- Return the pan to the heat again and increase heat to medium. Add the butter and when the butter has melted and started to froth add the mushrooms, top side down, season with lightly with salt and pepper, and cook for a 5 minutes or until golden, before turning over. Once both sides have been browned remove from the heat and brush both sides of the mushrooms with the dijon mustard.
- When the ingredients are cooled place a sheet of baking paper on the baking tray and then place the puff pastry sheet on top. Spread the caramelised onions over the middle third of the pastry, making sure to leave 1 to 2cm at the edges. Top with half the baby spinach and then the mushrooms. Top the mushrooms with thyme sprigs and the remaining baby spinach.
- Very carefully roll the pastry over the top of the mushroom mixture until you have a log. Tuck the edges under the pastry, ensuring the seam is facing the bottom.
- Cut 2 holes in the middle of the pastry to allow steam to escape and very lightly coat with the egg wash. Then place the pastry in the freezer for 10 minutes before repeating with another layer of egg wash and freezing the pastry for 10 minutes.
- Place the pastry back on the baking sheet and tray and place in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden.
Thank you to Australian Mushroom Growers and Tastespotting for sponsoring this contest.
Delicieux was compensated to develop this recipe by the sponsors of this contest.
Your mushroom Wellington looks gorgeous! I would pick this over any of the beef Wellington. Well done, Jennifer,
Thanks so much Ellie :D I really enjoyed this dish and have already made it another 2 times.
Jennifer ~ I have a rather long to-do list of recipes but I am letting this one cut into the line at the very top! I am totally blown away by this recipe of yours!!
USMasala
Hi aipi :D Thank you so much!!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Just a little note, make sure you cool the mushrooms completely and dry the mushrooms on paper towel before wrapping in pastry because I've found sometimes the mushrooms can be particularly juicy and you don't want the bottom to be soggy. Let me know what you think of this recipe when you make it :)
What a great way to use mushrooms. Typically you have the mushroom duxelle but this is a great aletrnative! :)
I voted and hey girl, you are leading! Your mushroom Wellington looks absolutely gorgeous! I can't wait to try it :)))
Thanks Nadia :D Hopefully I can maintain that lead for the rest of the week as the competition ends on Friday.
A treat for all mushroom lovers!
amazing, great idea :)
Thanks Muppy :D
Such a nice presentation, I love anything that gets wrapped up in a beautiful pasty crust like that.
Thanks Sylvie :D
Ooh look at that luscious interior of the wellington! It looks amazingly good :)
How exquisite! I love this recipe already!
I saw your tweets about this competition entry and had to check it out...this looks absolutely delicious. Beautifully presented and love those big chunks of meaty mushroom.
Thank you :D
What an awesome dish -- I want this right now for dinner haha. Gotta love the versatility of puff pastry :). Hope you win!
Thanks Xiaolu :D
Mushrooms in puff pastry, oh yeah!! Looks amazing Jennifer and a winning recipe for sure - heading over to vote now - Go Aussies :) and Go Mushrooms, YUM!!!
Thanks so much Trudy. Go Aussies!! :D
What a great idea! This sounds so delicious - and I definitely wouldn't miss the meat in this one =)
Ho-Ly! This looks amazing! I found you through knapkins and soo glad I did. Beautiful pics and outstanding recipe!
Thank you for your kind words Madi and for stopping by. I hope you'll come back :D
I just came across this recipe and it looks amazing. I love puff pastry, and I'm always looking for new uses. I'll definately be making this one. And congrats on winning!
Thank you so much Rebecca :D I hope you will be back for more soon :)
RT @ledelicieux: Previously on Delicieux: Mushroom Wellington http://t.co/1jVT3ZnI #recipe
Hi and yum!
I was wondering whether you had made this and successfully frozen it before the final bake - I'd love to get a lot of the preparation of our smaller Christmas dishes done beforehand.
Hi Jenny :D No, I haven't tried freezing the wellington before the final bake, but I think it would be ok. Perhaps you can do a test run before Christmas to make sure it's ok :)