Vegetables Wellington Adventure Part Two: Double the Madness

At just about the halfway point in my preparations for the first vegetables Wellington, after I’d cracked my head against the freezer door handle but before the four-hour-long music mix had started repeating, I had to stop.

Nearly every surface in our cramped kitchen was covered with ingredients, bowls, measuring implements, wooden spoons, baking sheets, the overworked mini food processor, pots and pans. In that moment, I couldn’t take any more.

Holding up the glass bottle of caramel-colored liquid in one hand and a narrow shot glass in the other so Guillaume could see, I declared, “It’s come to this.”

My insane plan was to make two of these ridiculous vegan holiday roasts, one to freeze and another to bake straightaway in the hopes of delighting friends and answering lingering questions about the original recipe. Flagging from hours in the kitchen, the shot of liquid courage did help.

I’d carefully studied Kenji’s recipe and his explanation with photos. He wrote that developing the recipe took a few years, yet it’s missing two crucial pieces of info: the phyllo sheet size, and whether the whole thing can be frozen in advance. Sure, you can make some components a few days in advance, but that’s still a stressful time crunch — especially if you’re hosting a holiday meal.

The required techniques weren’t actually that difficult. For me, the challenges were the amount of multi-tasking required and the opaque instructions. Not counting the “bacon,” making the carrots, duxelles, and bean mixture using a mini food processor took me around 3 hours. After a break, the assembly for freezing took about 1 hour and 15 minutes with Guillaume’s assistance.

For multi-taskers, I recommend setting aside two days, one to shop for all the ingredients and make “bacon” if desired, and the other for the cooking and assembly. Multi-tasking suggestions are bracketed below. Mono-taskers can spread this out over several days: one for the “bacon” and carrots, one for the duxelles and the cashew-bean mixture, and the last for assembly. That’s what I did for the second roast.

Ingredient Suggestions
Toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds are often in the bulk aisle. Or you can get raw seeds and toast them at home: Put each seed type side-by-side in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast at 325°F for about 8 minutes or until golden.

Kenji calls store-bought vegetable stock “universally poor quality,” but one commenter recommended Imagine No-Chicken Broth and the cashews I boiled in that were delicious. The herb amounts don’t need to be precise, but avoid any thick stems. For the phyllo, Safeway carried large frozen sheets in their Signature Select brand. Sheets smaller than 13x17 inches won’t hold all the fillings.

The “bacon” didn’t stand out in either roast, but it probably added depth of flavor and nice texture.

The good news is that this roast can be prepared in advance and frozen prior to baking. Put it in the refrigerator to defrost for 48 hours, let it rest at room temperature for several hours, and then carefully unwrap it.

In a side-by-side blind comparison that was not scientific, the previously-frozen vegetables Wellington won on taste — even though we still aren’t sure why — but crumbled more during initial slicing. Both turned out well, though. I can honestly say that it’s the best vegan roast I’ve ever made. Not that I’m eager to make one again any time soon.

Vegan Vegetables Wellington
Adapted from Serious Eats

Serves 8 – 10

Roasted Carrots:
1½ lbs. medium or large carrots, tops removed, scrubbed but unpeeled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Several sprigs fresh thyme
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Mushroom Duxelles:
12 oz. cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
¼ C. Bourbon
1 C. Japanese-style breadcrumbs (panko)
Smoked mushroom “bacon” OR around 8 oz. of a vegan alternative, cooked until crispy
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
¼ C. minced fresh parsley leaves
¼ C. minced fresh tarragon leaves
¼ C. minced fresh chives

Cashew-Bean Mixture:
1 lb. raw cashews
1 quart homemade or good store-bought vegetable stock such as Imagine No-Chicken Broth
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (around 15 oz.)
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, caps only, thinly sliced
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
½ C. toasted sunflower seeds, either store-bought or toasted at home (2.5 oz.)
½ C. toasted pumpkin seeds, either store-bought or toasted at home (2.5 oz.)

Assembly and Baking:
1 lb. package frozen phyllo dough, 13x17 inches, thawed
Extra-virgin olive oil OR a 7-oz. can of olive oil spray (a 5-oz one will run out)
Coarse sea salt

Gravy:
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. flour
1 quart homemade or good store-bought vegetable stock such as Imagine No-Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Make Ahead: The roasted carrots, duxelles, and bean–cashew mixture can all be made up to three days in advance and stored in sealed plastic zip-top bags in the refrigerator. The roast can be assembled and frozen prior to baking. See details below.

Tips: Don’t clean the food processor until the very end, let the large skillet cool and then wipe it out between steps, put the phyllo in the fridge the night before the assembly to defrost, and make sure you have all the ingredients out except for the phyllo dough to start.

Helpful tools: Food processor (mini or full-size), 2 baking sheets, a large deep skillet, a rolling pin, a garlic mincer, a pastry brush, wax paper, plastic wrap, parchment paper, aluminum foil.

Carrots: Cut off green tops and slice any large carrots in half lengthwise. Place the scrubbed, unpeeled carrots in a large skillet and cover with cold water. Season gently with salt. Bring this to a boil and cook until tender. This took me about 20 minutes, but stovetops vary. Keep checking with a fork. When the carrots seem to be nearing tender, adjust the oven rack to the center and preheat to 400°F.

[[Meanwhile, start to prep the duxelles ingredients. Put the minced herbs together in a bowl. Mince 2 additional cloves of garlic and set them aside for the cashew-bean mixture. Roughly chop “bacon” mushrooms, place them in a small bowl, and toss with the maple syrup.]]

Carefully drain any remaining water from the pan, leaving the carrots in. Drizzle carrots with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, gently tossing to coat. Put foil on a baking sheet and carefully transfer the cooked carrots to it using tongs. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme sprigs.

Roast the carrots, turning once or twice, until they are lightly caramelized and wrinkled in appearance, about 30 minutes. [[Continue duxelles prep. Start boiling cashews.]] Remove from the oven, discard thyme, and set carrots on a plate to cool. [[Wipe out the skillet.]] Turn off the oven.

Duxelles: Place the roughly chopped cremini mushrooms in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, about 8 to 10 short pulses, scraping down sides as necessary. This is how you’ll pulse everything else in the recipe. Do this in stages for a mini food processor.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in the large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, approximately 10 minutes but be careful not to over-brown. [[Pre-heat the oven and bake the beans. Prep the shiitake.]] Lower the heat to medium. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened, about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and Bourbon and cook until almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add about 1/2 cup panko and stir to combine. Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl.

If you haven’t already, roughly chop the “bacon” mushrooms, put them in a small bowl, and toss with the maple syrup. Add this to the duxelles bowl. Add half the minced parsley, tarragon, chives, and fold the mixture together until homogenous. If it seems too wet, slowly incorporate more of the remaining 1/2 cup of panko. You don’t want this mixture to be too dry. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste and set the bowl aside.

Cashew-bean mixture: Place the cashews in a medium saucepan and add the veggie stock or broth. If using homemade, you might want to season it very lightly with salt. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost completely evaporated, about 30 minutes or so. This took me 35 minutes. You’ll hear when the liquid is gone. [[Prep the rest of the ingredients for the cashew-bean mixture while this boils. Let the skillet cool and wipe it out.]] Remove from the heat and taste it, adding salt and pepper if needed.

If you haven’t already done the beans, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the drained and rinsed cannellini beans on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet in an even layer. Transfer to the oven and roast until beans are mostly split open and outer skins are starting to get crunchy. Start checking at 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside to cool.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in the large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until moisture evaporates and mushrooms are beginning to brown, approximately 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium. Add the leeks and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Remove the skillet from the heat and scrape the mushroom mixture into a clean mixing bowl. Using the parchment or foil as a funnel, add the roasted cannellini beans to this bowl. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the cashews into the food processor from the pot and pulse until finely chopped. If some are forming a slight paste, that’s fine. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

Put the toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds in the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add them to the cashew bowl.

Finally, put the beans and mushroom mixture in the food processor, pulsing until roughly chopped. Add this to the cashew bowl. Add the remaining minced fresh herbs to the bowl and fold together. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.

[[This is a good time to cover the duxelles and cashew-bean mixture bowls so they don’t dry out and take a well-deserved break. You’ll also want clean baking sheets and counter space for the assembly part.]]

Assembly: You’ll be making a center roll of the cashew-bean mixture, surrounding that with a layer of roasted carrots and duxelles followed by a thinly pressed layer of the remaining cashew-bean mixture, all wrapped in as much phyllo as you can get around the fat sucker. You’ll always be rolling from the phyllo’s short edge, like you would with a scroll or a sleeping bag. The final “roast” is huge. Mine weighed about five pounds.

Wax paper will be your friend. I put overlapping layers down on the counter to create a workstation. Have baking sheets, a rolling pin, and extra oil handy. Dampen a cloth kitchen towel. Create a plastic cover for the phyllo using two overlapping lengths of plastic wrap. Unroll the phyllo onto your biggest cutting board or a clean, dry flat surface away from the sink. Cover the dough completely with plastic and the damp towel to prevent drying.

Center: Lay a single sheet of phyllo across your workstation and brush or spray with olive oil. Keep the remaining phyllo covered. If your sheet has any tears, add a second one, coating that as well. Measure out about 1½ cups of the bean-cashew mixture and gently spread it onto the phyllo into a rectangular shape, leaving a 2-inch border free around it. Roll the phyllo and mixture up like a burrito, tucking in the sides about half way through rolling. Set the center roll aside. Don’t oil the exterior.

Center roll.

Carrots and Duxelles: Lay a new sheet of phyllo on your work surface and brush or spray with olive oil. Put 2 more sheets on top, brushing or spraying each with olive oil as you go. Divide the duxelles in half. Spread half evenly horizontally over about two-thirds of the phyllo sheet, leaving a 2-inch border free on three sides.

Half the duxelles (left) and roasted carrot layer (right).

Set the roasted carrots on top of the duxelles in even rows parallel to the phyllo’s shorter sides. Cover with remaining duxelles, pressing down with your hands to form an even layer. Place the center roll on top, parallel with the carrots. Roll it all up into a tight cylinder and set aside. Don’t add more oil.

Second half of the duxelles on top (left), and center roll on top (right).

Rolled up in a cylinder.

Outer layer: You’re going to think there’s no way the remaining bean-cashew mixture is going to fit. I had a moment of panic myself. Fortunately we’re pressing it into a very thin layer. Kenji suggests a trick with baking sheets. I used his technique and then pressed it thinner with a rolling pin.

Get two clean rimmed baking sheets ready, one slightly larger than the other. Place a long piece of wax or parchment paper lengthwise over the larger sheet with a few inches hanging over each side. Scoop the remaining bean-cashew mixture onto the paper into roughly an 8x3-inch row, although slightly wider than 3 inches is fine.

Bean-cashew mixture on waxed paper over a baking sheet.

Place a second long sheet of wax or parchment paper lengthwise on top of the mixture. Put the other baking sheet on top. Press down firmly all over the baking sheet to spread the mixture into a thin layer. Remove top baking sheet and top layer of paper and set aside.

Pressing the mixture into a thin layer between waxed paper using a baking sheet.

If it’s not spread thin enough, you can put a rolling pin directly on the 8x3-inch row of mixture and firmly press it out to a rectangular size that will fit on a phyllo sheet and still leave a 2-inch border free around it. Wash the rolling pin as soon as possible.

Place a single layer of phyllo over the pressed mixture. Brush or spray with olive oil, add another sheet of phyllo, and repeat, adding a total of 5 to 6 layers of phyllo and oil. Do not oil the final sheet. Put the paper from the pressing stage back over the phyllo.

Pressed mixture (left) with layers of phyllo dough on top (right).

Place the smaller baking sheet right side up over the phyllo. Holding both baking sheets together, flip them over. Now remove the larger baking sheet and paper from the top. Using the bottom paper as a sling, gently lift it up and get the smaller baking sheet out from underneath, setting it aside. You should now have phyllo layers topped with a thin layer of the bean-cashew mixture.

Waxed paper over the phyllo sheets (left) and a baking sheet on top ready to flip (right).

The baking sheets post-flip (left), sheets removed and phyllo layers on the bottom (right).

Place the middle carrot-mushroom cylinder on top of the pressed bean-cashew business and roll it all up. You’ll have an extremely fat “burrito.” Carefully lift or roll the burrito to one side of your workstation. (If the burrito forms a split, adding more phyllo will help.)

Lay out a fresh sheet of phyllo and brush or spray with olive oil. Roll the burrito up in the sheet. Repeat this process, rolling the burrito back and forth, wrapping it in oiled dough sheets each time, until all of the phyllo is used up. It’s fine to leave off the last several phyllo sheets, especially if they’re tearing. Coat the exterior well with oil.

The carrot-mushroom cylinder gets rolled into the cashew-bean layer to form a “burrito.”

Rolling the “burrito” in additional phyllo layers (left) and the final roast (right).

Freezing: Wrap the roast tightly in waxed paper, then tightly in overlapping plastic film, and finally, overlapping aluminum foil. I set it in a stoneware dish on the upper freezer shelf to avoid leaving any dents in the bottom. Never put stoneware directly from the freezer into an oven. Thaw it by putting the roast in the refrigerator for 48 hours, then let it come to room temperature for several hours prior to baking. Keep the foil.

Baking: Preheat oven to 425°F. Transfer the roast, seam-side down, to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush or spray the exterior with more olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea salt, and score gently with a sharp paring knife at 1-inch intervals across the top.

Bake until golden brown, crisp, and puffed, about 40 minutes or longer. If the top is browning too fast, cover it loosely with a piece of foil shiny side up.

Don’t worry if a previously frozen roast leaks. Dab away the liquid with a paper towel held in tongs. It’s also fine to bake it several minutes longer than recommended.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. It’s actually easier to cut when not piping hot.

Gravy: While the roast is baking, make the gravy. Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil and flour in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk until flour is nutty brown. This took me several minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in stock.

Add the soy sauce, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until thickened and reduced to 3 cups. This took 40-odd minutes and even then it wasn’t very thick. Remove thyme and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of optional nutritional yeast. The gravy can be reheated in the microwave at low to medium power.

Serve: Transfer the roast to a board large enough to catch crumbles. Trim the ends off the roast prior to serving. Use a bread knife to cut slices. Spoon some hot gravy on top of each slice. Wrap and refrigerate any leftovers. And pour yourself a drink. You’ve earned it.