Looking back to December, a recipe we enjoyed here at Season’s Eatings was for chestnuts and mushrooms en croute. This rich, vegetarian dish is in fact so delicious that we want to extend the enjoyment into January, so here is the recipe.

The chestnut and mushroom en croute dish will serve four people, but will need accompaniments, which we recommend in the form of roast potatoes seasoned with thyme, and some steamed veg.

Preparation time: 10 minutes (to chop the vegetables)

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes (total)

Ingredients:

• 180g vac-packed, pre-cooked chestnuts, chopped
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
• 100g spinach
• 2 large onions
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 50ml red wine
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry, defrosted in the fridge if from frozen
• Olive oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Sea salt flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper

Recipe:

1. Finely chop the onions, and add to a frying pan pre-drizzled with olive oil, over a medium heat. Add a pinch of sea salt flakes, stir together, and turn the heat down low. Leaving the onions to fry for 20 minutes, until soft and golden, stirring occasionally. 
2. Pour in the red wine, cook for a minute or two maximum until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Then add the finely grated garlic, dried thyme and chestnuts, stir together for a further minute, then add the spinach, stirring to help wilt. 
3. Once the spinach leaves have wilted down and most of the liquid has rendered from them and been evaporated, spoon the mixture onto a plate.
4. Return the pan to the heat with a couple of glugs of olive oil, tip in the chopped mushrooms. Fry for about 10 minutes over a medium-high heat until the mushrooms have started to brown slightly. Turn off the heat and add the mushrooms to the chestnut and spinach mixture. 
5. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC. Line a large baking tray with either baking paper or tin foil. Lay a further piece of baking paper down on a kitchen surface, cut to the same length as the baking tray. This will help you manoeuvre the pastry. Then carefully unroll the puff pastry onto the baking paper.
6. Along one long length, mound the mushroom, chestnut and onion mixture, into a long sausage, thick shape leaving a border of about 1 inch at either end of the pastry. Then carefully roll the pastry over so the filling is encased and the seam is underneath.
7. Press down the two ends with a fork (or fingers) to seal, brush all over with lightly beaten egg. Then transfer to the lined baking tray. 
8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
9. 
10. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving, cutting with a serrated knife.