Anniversary Mushroom Wellingtons

Today is my 10th wedding anniversary! Hard to believe it has been that many years...they have flown! So, in honor of our big day, I decided to go all-out and make my husband one of his favorite dishes. This isn’t the easiest meal to prepare, but, the end results are so scrumptious, you’ll be glad you did it!

These Mushroom Wellingtons are a vegetarian take on the traditional Beef Wellington. Portobellos have a real “meaty” flavor to them; I have subsituted them for beef many times before and am always pleased with the results! This recipe is adapted from one I found in Cuisine at Home magazine (awesome mag, by the way!!). Roasting the portobellos first is a must! Mushrooms have a high water content and if you don’t “sweat” them before combining them into a dish, they will make your meal soggy and watery! Also, please be aware of how much salt you add to the mushrooms...blue cheese is really salty, so, if you add too much to the ‘shrooms, you may over do it in the end.

Roast:
2 large portabello mushrooms
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
salt & pepper to taste

For the filling:
1/2 c. minced shallots (if you can’t find shallots, onions are fine)
1-2 Tbls minced garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 c. white button mushrooms, stemmed and minced
1 c. baby bella mushrooms, stemmed and minced
1/3 c. toasted walnuts, chopped
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped

Putting it all together:
2 tsp blue cheese, crumbled
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Remove the stems and gils from the portobello mushroom. I use a grapefruit spoon to do this and it works rather nicely! A regular spoon will suffice, too. Brush each portobello (gill side up) with 1 tsp dijon, 1/2 tsp chopped sage and sprinkle each with salt and pepper. Roast the portobellos for 20 minutes.


3. While portobellos are roasting, saute shallots, garlic & sugar in a large frying pan in the 2 tsp of olive oil for 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Add all the mushrooms and stir frequently until all the water has evaporated from the mushrooms, about 7 minutes. Stir in the walnuts, 1 tsp dijon, sage and salt and pepper to taste (go easy on the salt!).

4. When you take the roasted portobellos out of the oven, you may notice the mushrooms are filled with water- that’s normal. GENTLY drain the water, being careful not to spill the mustard and sage. Sprinkle 1 tsp blue cheese on each roasted portobello. Divide the mushroom mixture evenly between the portobellos.

5. Cut two 6 inch rounds from thawed puff pastry. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it is approx 10 inches round (sprinkle a little flour on the rolling pin and the surface you are rolling on to prevent sticking). Place each portobello in the center of each round, then fold pastry edges inward. Leave a small gap in the center (or use a knife to cut a small slit) so that the steam can escape. Brush each Wellington with the egg wash.


Bake Wellingtons on a cookie sheet lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Cook for 20-22 minutes, until Wellington pastry is golded and puffed.

I serve this with a simple spinach salad. Oh it’s so good! Enjoy!