Vegetable Wellington

I am so glad that Halloween is finally over so we can get serious about the best holiday of all, Thanksgiving! Halloween is focused on candy and costumes but Thanksgiving is about all kinds of food, not just candy! (And of course, being Thankful) Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. To me it was a day dedicated to eating as many bowls of mashed potatoes as I could. My mom never made mashed potatoes when I was growing up so I took advantage of the mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving.

For Thanksgiving my parents, Kelly, and I used to visit our family friends in California. We would go to Disneyland or Knotts Berry farm, play football, play board games and put together puzzles. It was the best time! I miss those trips. If we didn’t go to California, we visited my Mom’s family in Michigan. But we rarely spent Thanksgiving in Illinois. And if we did it was due to weather.

Not that I am all grown up, it just doesn’t feel right celebrating Thanksgiving at home. Cliff and I decided we would always travel somewhere for Thanksgiving. Since we have been married we have been to Mexico, London/Paris and Rome for Thanksgiving. This year we are going back to Italy for Thanksgiving and Kelly is coming with.

Since we are always gone for Thanksgiving we usually celebrate early with my parents, so I have been testing out Thanksgiving recipes for awhile now. This vegetable wellington is one that I tried out a couple of weeks ago. Cliff was skeptical at first but he ended up really liking it. We have been trying to incorporate 1 meatless meal into our dinner plan each week. This vegetable wellington is great for “meatless Mondays.” The mushrooms are very meaty and a great substitute for the real deal. I think this would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving table, especially for vegetarians.

Here is what you'll need

Begin sauteing the butternut squash with oil and honey

In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the garlic

Add the mushrooms

We've got some good color, add salt and pepper and remove from heat

Do the same with the mushrooms

Place one sheet of puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet. I used foil; don't do it, use parchment!!!

Put the vegetables in the center of the sheet

Crumble the goat cheese on top of the vegetables

Fold the short ends in and the long ends across the top

Brush the puff pastry with the egg white

Bake about 20 minutes until its golden brown and flaky

Serve with a nice salad for a perfect meatless meal!

Ingredients
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 cups portabella mushrooms, stems removed and cubed
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons goat cheese
1 sheet of puff pastry
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg white, lightly whisked

Directions
Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat 2 pans over medium high heat. In one pan put 1 tablespoon of butter. In the other put 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot add the butternut squash and the honey to the pan with the oil and the mushrooms and the garlic to the pan with the butter. Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes until slightly browned and cooked through. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Lay out 1 sheet of puff pastry on your baking sheet. In the middle of the puff pastry add the squash and the mushrooms. On top of that add the goat cheese. Fold the short ends of the puff pastry over the vegetables. Fold one long end over the vegetables and then the other to create a log. Brush with egg whites. Cook in the preheated oven 15-20 until golden brown. Let set for about 5 minutes; slice and serve.

Source: Adapted from The New York Times