Chestnut & Mushroom Wellington√

Don and Judith drove 1000 miles from Michigan this week to spend thanksgiving with us. Debra and Jim flew in from Connecticut, and Keith, Alex & Quin plus girlfriends drove up from Ocala. The weather was perfect and we were eleven for thanksgiving dinner. We ate outside at long tables, Italian style, as the sun fell through the pine trees.

The once happy, organic turkey came from Applewoods Farm. Debra doctored it a la Alton Brown and it was spectacularly divine - moist and tasty and not at all the cardboard-like aberrations of some of my Christmases past. The table groaned with food: turkey, gravies (one for the carnivores and one for the veggie), cranberries relishes (one cooked, one raw), mashed potatoes, fresh baby lima beans with bacon (and some without), loads of veggies and fresh bread (I'm going to put up a video of my no knead, no muss, no fuss, 3 minute bread soon).

We ate two deserts: pumpkin pie (of course) and a scrumptious chocolate/chestnut cake. Here's the trick that worked a treat with the desserts. We ate them at mid-day. We were all hungry and I just didn't feel like throwing something together for 11 hungry people. The desserts were ready and looked so inviting. We had at least four hours to go for a long walk between the sweet stuff and the turkey!!

Don's a vegetarian so I cooked up a Mushroom and Chestnut recipe adapted from a Rose Elliot recipe. Chestnuts are in season right now and are absolutely delicious. I made a veggie mushroom and onion gravy for Don and we all had a piece of the Wellington on the side - kinda like a deluxe stuffing/dressing. It's the first time I've ever cooked with puff pastry and it was so successful I can't wait to do it again. Here's my holiday recipe!

1 large onion, finely chopped
4 oz. of bella or chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
3 big ribs of celery, finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic finely chopped

Saute the chopped vegetables in a tbsp of olive oil until translucent and starting to brown
Add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp lemon juice and crumble in a vegetable stock cube and stir till dissolved.
Grind the following in the food process or chop finely and mix well together in a large bowl:

110g (4oz) cashews
110g (4oz) soft wholemeal breadcrumbs
110g (4oz) cooked chestnuts, chopped (you can use tinned - our were from the farmer's market)
1/2 cup finely chopped, mixed herbs - I used parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (breaking out into Simon & Garfunkle as I chopped and sprinkled)

Add the veggies and mix well.
Roll 330g (12oz) of frozen puff pastry out on a lightly floured board to make a rectangle about 14" x 11". Transfer the pastry to a lightly oiled baking tray and heap the mushroom mixture in the center, forming it into a loaf shape. Wet the edges on 3 sides generously with milk and fold over like a parcel pressing the edges down well so that the insides don't leak out during the baking. Make diagonal cuts across the top. Brush the whole top with more milk and bake at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 40 mins, or till golden brown etc.

Serve with mushroom and onion gravy! Saute finely chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms in a mixture of olive oil and butter for at least 20 minutes. Add water or vegetable stock with a teaspoon of corn starch dissolved in it, some tamari (soy sauce) and herbs. Whiz in the food processor to make a creamy gravy (blending it makes it much paler) or leave it as is if you prefer it darker in color.
Damn - I meant to add some cooked, wild rice to the Wellington mix, but forgot. I think it would add a really nice texture and taste. Probably 4 - 6 oz of cooked rice depending on how much crunch you want.

Prepping Chestnuts
Canned chestnuts are fine - fresh are always finer. Prepping them is a pain but well worth it - and less of a pain if you have a slew of house-guests to help out. Cut the fresh chestnuts in half - they don't have to be cut all the way though and boil for 15-20 minutes i.e. until the shell and the chestnut pops out easily. Peel them as quickly possible as they become hard to peel once they cool even a little. I just take a cupful out of the hot water at a time ...

Postscript!
It's December 26th - the day after Christmas. We went to Orlandowith Lori & Shirley to shop at IKEA, then to the Audubon Raptor Center nearby and then a look around the Maitland Art Center. What could be better - a day trip with friends, shopping, a nature center and art. Heaven. We came home with cameras avian pictures and armfuls of goodies from IKEA. Hungry. I had a whole Chestnut & Mushroom Wellington left over after thanksgiving and had thrown it in the freezer. Ellen pulled it out this week and tonight I popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. We had fresh made cranberry relish and gravy in the fridge plus a big salad I'd thrown together this morning before we left for the day. Shirley and Lori brought wine and a cooked ham. A perfect end to a perfect day!