Whole Cauliflower Wellington Roast With Its Own Gravy Recipe

Gaz says: “This is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek recipe – it almost shouldn’t be allowed. It looks ridiculous really, but I love making underrated veg the centre of the dinner table.”

Serves:

4-6

Cooks in:

30 minutes

Ingredients

2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped
250g (9oz) chestnut (cremini) mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 red onions, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tsp sea salt
1 medium cauliflower
Juice of 1 lemon
1 x 500g (1lb 2oz) block of ready-made puff pastry
Plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting
Christmas trimmings of choice, to serve

For the cauliflower marinade

3 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp dried sage
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp miso paste

For the duxelles

2 tbsp olive oil
200g (7oz) mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 shallots, roughly chopped
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried sage

For the spinach layer

1 tbsp olive oil
300g (10½ oz) spinach
Pinch of sea salt

For the gravy

3 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
360ml (1½ cups) white wine
2 tbsp Marmite or soy sauce
1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock
Pinch of sea salt and pepper

For the glaze

2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy milk

Method

1. First up, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Mix together all the ingredients for the cauliflower marinade in a small mixing bowl.

2. Add the carrots, celery, leek, mushrooms, onions and garlic cloves to a large baking tray, and scatter over the thyme sprigs and salt. Place the cauliflower in the centre, so that it’s surrounded by the roasting vegetables. Brush the marinade mixture over the cauliflower generously. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then place the tray into the oven to roast for 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, make the mushroom duxelles. Place a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. When the pan is hot, add the mushrooms, shallots, thyme and sage and season with a little salt and pepper. Sauté the mixture for 4–5 minutes. When the mushrooms have caramelised, transfer the mixture to your food processor and blitz until it’s lightly chopped. Set the mushroom mix aside to cool.

4. For the spinach layer, add the oil to the same frying pan placed over a high heat, then add the spinach. Sauté the spinach until it’s wilted, adding a tiny pinch of salt while it is cooking. Once wilted, remove the spinach from the pan and place it onto a clean tea (dish) towel. Using the towel, squeeze the water out of the spinach, then set it aside to cool.

5. Once the cauliflower has been in the oven for an hour, remove it. Take the cauliflower out of the tray and set it aside to cool, leaving the remaining vegetables in the tray – these will form the base of the gravy.

6. To make the gravy, place the roasting tray over a low heat on your stovetop and add the tomato purée and flour. Cook for a minute or so, stirring, then deglaze the pan with the white wine, Marmite and vegetable stock. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any flavourful roasting juices that may have stuck. Let the gravy bubble away and thicken up for 15 minutes or so. Once the gravy has thickened, pass it through a sieve into a saucepan. Check the seasoning, then set it aside until you’re ready to serve.

7. Once the cauliflower, mushroom mixture and spinach have cooled, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl.

8. Roll out your puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to around 3mm (1/8in) thick and big enough to be able to wrap up your cauliflower. Use a plate measuring about 25cm (10in) as a template to cut a circle shape in the centre of the pastry. Spread the mushroom duxelles mix into the middle of the pastry, leaving a 5cm (2in) border around the edge, then top with the spinach. Place the cauliflower on top, upside-down, then grab the edges of the pastry circle and wrap the cauliflower up. Be creative with any excess pastry – you can cut shapes and top your wellington with them. Brush the whole wellington with your glaze.

9. Place the wellington onto a lined baking tray (the right way up) and then into the oven to roast for 30–35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Serve the wellington right away with the gravy and all your Christmas trimmings.

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