food to glow

Cauliflower and Porcini Mushroom Wellington is the ultimate vegetarian centrepiece dinner recipe. Easy to prepare, and goes with all of the usual Christmas dinner trimmings. 

*Jump to Recipe*

Holidays are special times. Often with our wider family and friends, these are occasions where we gather together to break bread and strengthen bonds.

In our family we often get out a battered black leather suitcase filled with embarrassing old family photos, going through it and recounting past stories and cherished memories of family present and absent. While this takes place I will be nipping in and out of the room, refilling glasses and checking on my various timers. I’m not great with emotional stuff. But I’m okay with food, and making lots of it.

Regardless of the minutiae of holiday gatherings, and whether it is 2 or 20 at the table, one thing that most holiday get-togethers have in common is food.

When someone enters my home at Christmas I want them to be welcomed not only with a bit of Michael Bublé in the background (I’m that cheesy), but the entrancing aromas of an oven transforming food into a feast. I think this is one of the most welcoming things any of us can do. Guests instantly feel in the holiday spirit if a home is cosy (candles, fire, greenery and more candles in my house) and filled with the aroma of food cooking in the oven.

And this brings me to the cauliflower Wellington.

Cauliflower doesn’t have the best reputation for smelling great. This is true. Especially when it is boiled à la school lunches… But honestly, in this case, the hot oven, the crisp puff pastry, porcini mushrooms and woodsy herbs wave a magic wand over the cauliflower to make that smell *poof* disappear. But light some Christmassy frankincense candles if you don’t trust me.

This is what we are having as our edible centrepiece this year. My golden Cauliflower and Porcini Mushroom Wellington will be on this cracked and mended platter, with mounds of glistening roasted potatoes, maple and fennel carrots, creamed kale, sauteed Brussels sprouts with crispy sage crumbs, and my “legacy” Southern cornbread stuffing. I may be cooking a side of wild salmon too – if I can get my hands on one. Seeing everyone reaching to grab seconds and passing dishes to one another is me in my happy place.

If I didn’t have to get dressed up in an itchy Christmas jumper it would be just about perfect. 🙂

What’s in the Cauliflower Wellington?

A large, fresh cauliflower (surprise, surprise!)

Ready-made puff pastry. This can be vegan or butter but it is best if it is a block rather than the ready-rolled kind. This is because the ready-rolled will probably not fit around the cauliflower. But you can put two rolled ones together to make a bigger one if needs must.

Chestnut/cremini mushrooms (lots) and dried porcini mushrooms (just a little). Porcini is what makes this special but if you can get fresh wild mushrooms these will be amazing – about 50 grams of fresh will suffice.

Chopped onion, garlic and herbs – the flavour backbone

Dry sherry – optional but it really makes this pop. The alcohol is cooked out so is fine for children. You could use a squeeze of lemon instead but this will not give the same flavour.

Cream cheese – dairy or vegan, but use full-fat or the mixture may release too much water and affect the pastry.

A few tips

1. The pastry needs to be cold.

2. The cauliflower needs to be roasted first and then cooled.

3. You can make the elements ahead of time – up to two days – and assemble the night before. Make the mushroom mixture but add the cream cheese on the day; roast the cauliflower and store it in a box or bag.

4. The only vaguely tricky thing about this recipe is wrapping the cauliflower. Read through the instructions and you should be absolutely fine. The only thing to make sure of is that the pastry is well-sealed, and that the pastry isn’t lumpy as this will affect the bake – you will have undercooked bits.

This dish reheats pretty well but not well enough to cook ahead and serve at Christmas. Great for leftovers though.I will be posting a few more side dishes for the festive table over the next couple of weeks, but if you can’t wait, do have a look at my recipe index as well as this post.Let me know if I can help you with any of your menu planning – either in the comments or through my Contact Me page. It would be my pleasure. 🙂

Oh, if you’d rather use cauliflower as a side dish, why not check out my suitably celebratory (read: indulgent), and immodestly named, Incredible Mashed Cauliflower. And serve it with Spring Onion Gravy and these individual Roasted Rainbow Carrot Tartlets.{below}

**Remember to follow me on Pinterest and, if you make my Cauliflower Wellington, click on the pin below and leave a photo of your make with a comment telling me what you think, or any awesome changes that you made. Similarly, any Instagram posts tagged @food_to_glow using my recipes will go on my Story if I see them. I’m always so proud when you share my recipes with the world. Yay!!!

Whether on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or of course here on the blog, I love to see what you do with my recipes, and I welcome your comments, star ratings, tweaks and suggestions.**

Please note that the calorie/fat count in the box above is higher than it actually is as the calculation included all of the pastry and you will only be using some of it. But, hey, it’s Christmas !

RIPE FOR PINNING!