So, last night for dinner, I figured it was time to give it a go - especially seeing I'd bought extra mushrooms specifically for this recipe. I'm not sure what time I started but it took me ages! Mainly because the bowl of my food processor is broken (Steve ordered a new one online as we were trying to work out how to do the food processing, without a food processor). I ended up using the blender and just doing little bits at a time. This was for the stuffing component of the recipe. You should have seen the kitchen bench ...
Anyway it finally came together and in the oven and we were ready to eat by 8:20 - well a bit later because after Steve had sliced it I remembered that I wanted to take photos for this blog. I need to prepare for the photos a bit better and have whatever props I want ready to go. This was more like, quick, where's a white plate, how am I going to get enough light, where's the rosemary ... and Steve is just wanting to eat.
It actually worked out really well and tasted great. Worth the effort? Yes, I think so, especially when I have the right tools for the job next time. And it would be so easy to add different things to this recipe. I didn't have hazelnuts, so just used the walnuts I had at home. I also decided against cooking puy lentils, and used tinned lentils. Next time I might add a gravy to it - and veggies.
200g roasted hazelnuts
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 to 2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 to 3 sage leaves, or ½ tsp dried sage
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs (I used Paxo for convenience – available in the US from here, and the UK fromhere)
Himalayan salt to taste (from here in the US, or here in the UK)
METHOD
- Place the onions, garlic, and herbs in the processor, and process until small pieces form. Next, add the nuts, and pulse until small.
- Add the remaining ingredients, and whizz for 10-20 seconds. You should be left with a nice crumble mix, everything broken down into tiny pieces, but not crushed to a pulp.
extra virgin olive oil
around 14-16 mushrooms, finely chopped
1 medium sized white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup puy lentils, pre-boiled until cooked, then drained and set aside
1½ Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika (available in the US from here, and the UK from here)
1 tsp hot curry powder (if you don’t like it, hot use mild curry and use ½ tsp, just for a touch of flavour)
1/8 tsp asafoetida (from here in the US, and here in the UK)
Himalayan salt to taste
2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/8 cup (30 ml) water
a little vegan milk, for brushing on the pastry
METHOD FOR THE LENTIL STUFFING
- In a large pan, fry the onions and garlic, then add the tomato paste and all the spices.
- Mix well, then stir in the mushrooms, and allow them to yield their juices.
- When they are cooked, add the remaining ingredients, and allow to cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
- Taste for salt, and allow to cool down before stuffing the pastry – the mixture should be no more than lukewarm.
STUFFING’N’ROLLING
- First, preheat your oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Then line a medium-sized oven-proof tray from end to end with greaseproof paper, and then grease it just the same.
- Place your thawed pastry sheets on a clean, floured surface, and roll the pastry sheets together in such a way that you create one sheet approximately 10 by 7 inches.
- Now spoon the two stuffing mixtures onto the pastry sheet, one in front of the other (see picture above – you are looking at the pastry laid out before you roll it away from you. Once you have done this, your two fillings will be distributed evenly).
- Now start slowly rolling the mixture away from you, until you reach the end. You might feel you need an extra hand, so if anybody is around at home, do not hesitate to give a shout. No panic, if any bits fall out of the side, just gently finger them back into place. Then secure the folded over pastry in place using toothpicks.
- Wash your hands at this point, and dry them thoroughly. Brush the roulade with vegan milk, then make surface cuts at half inch intervals on the surface of the dough, but don’t put any weight on it whilst you do this. These will be your markers for each slice once cooked.
- Carefully lift the roulade onto your oven dish using 2 large metal spatulas (again some help might be useful at this latter stage).
- Then place in your hot oven until it turns golden – around 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and assemble any accompanying veggies in another serving dish – but I advise that if you’re having roast potatoes, they should be nice and crunchy. Or you may prefer plain new potatoes – whatever takes your fancy. Bon Appétit and Seasons Greetings !