FOR THE WELLY

• 1x juicy marbles loin
• 1x sheet of puff pastry, 30cm x 40cm
• 10 slices of eggplant, cut into 0.5cm thick slices
• Smoked paprika
• 500g mushrooms, minced in food processor
• 1 red onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
• 2 tbsp of Ligurian wild olives or Kalamata olives, minced
• 2 tbsp brandy or whiskey
• 2 tbsp thymeParsley, chopped
• 1 tsp of soy sauce or balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• Oil or plant based milk, for “egg-wash”
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

FOR THE BLUEBERRY-RED WINE CHUTNEY

• 1/2 cup of red wine
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1.5 cup of fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup of yellow raisins, chopped small
• 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• 1 shallot or 1/2 a red onion minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger or fresh ginger minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 bay leaves
‍• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp agar-agar

FOR THE ROAST EGGPLANT

Preheat oven to 170C°. Lay slices of eggplant on a tray. Drizzle generously with oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika and salt. Bake for about 10 minutes. Check to see if they’re ready, if they’re not ready bake for another 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. When they’re cooked through, take them out of the oven.

FOR THE MUSHROOM DUXELLE

Heat a nonstick pan. Add olive oil, onions, mushrooms, thyme and salt to the pan and sautee for about 5 minutes. Next add garlic, olives, balsamic vinegar and brandy to the pan. Continue to sautee for about 10 more minutes, or until all the water has evaporated and the mushroom paste starts browning. When the paste is done cooking add chopped parsley and transfer to a bowl to cool.

FOR THE BLUEBERRY-RED WINE CHUTNEY

Heat a small pot. Add the spices to the pot and toast them for 1 minute or until they’re fragrant. Then add a little oil and the onions and cook until they’re soft. Then add the rest of the chutney ingredients EXCEPT for 1/2 cup of blueberries and agar agar. Simmer the chutney for 20 minutes and mix it occasionally. After 20 minutes add the rest of the blueberries and agar agar. Simmer for another 10 minutes and then turn off the heat. Allow to cool and transfer into a nice bowl for serving.

LOIN PREP

Salt and pepper your loin generously on each side. Heat a nonstick pan and add some oil. When the oil is hot add the whole loin to the pan. Sear for about 2 minutes on each side on low-medium heat, until each side is slightly browned and crispy. Then remove from heat and allow to cool.

ASSEMBLING THE WELLINGTON

1. When all Wellington ingredients have completely cooled assemble the Wellington. Your puff pastry should be at room temperature so it will be easy to stretch out. Lay out a piece of seran wrap or wax paper. Roll out your puff pastry (if using seran wrap make sure there is a piece of wax paper between the puff pastry and plastic, otherwise it will stick together). Gently stretch the sides of the dough so it will be more then large enough to wrap around the loin whole loin.

2. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices in a square in the middle of the dough while leaving about 6cm/2inches of space empty around the edges.

3. Next the add a generous layer of mushroom duxelle over the eggplant.

4. Next put the the loin on top of the mushrooms, with the rounded top of the loin on the mushrooms and the flat side facing you.

5. Next very gently bring each side of the of the dough around the loin wrapping it like a burrito. Use the seran wrap/wax paper to help tightly bring the dough, eggplant and mushrooms around the loin. Bring the long sides together first and then bring the small sides up, like your wrapping a present. Try to roll it as tightly as possible into a cylinder shape, so when it cooks the mushroom duxelle stays around the loin and doesn’t fall into the sides.

6. Keep the Wellington tightly wrapped in the seran/wax paper and put it in the freezer to cool for 20 minutes, or if preparing the Wellington a day before cooking but it in the fridge. If using wax paper you can tightly wrap a plastic bag around the wax paper to help it keep its shape before putting it in the freezer.

7. Preheat the oven to 200C°. Prepare an oven tray with wax paper. Take the Wellington out of the freezer, unwrap it and put it on the oven tray.

8. In a small bowl add some oil or milk (this is your egg-wash). Brush the entire puff pastry with the oil and then sprinkle some sea salt salt over it. If you want you can mark your pastry dough by very gently and lightly cutting some lines into the top of the dough without breaking the dough.

9. Bake the Wellington for 30 minutes. The dough should look nice and browned and crispy when it’s done. Let it cool for about 5-10 minutes before digging in!!