Cranberry + Butternut Squash Wellington
The holidays have started + I’m determined to do 2 things: 1) Enjoy all the time with Jordan & the boys by creating fun moments for the 4 of us to do all the holiday things, & 2) Avoid all holiday meltdowns at all costs. I am so lucky to be able to enjoy the season, and have a household & family & friends that I can celebrate it with. And I want to do that.
This year we were so lucky to be able to get a snowy getaway to kick-start our holidays. We packed up the boys & headed to Suncadia for a work trip, and a very unexpected snow storm turned it into more of a family weekend. And it provided us all with a whole White Christmas vibe that made it a really special weekend. The high - seeing the dogs tromp around in snow that was up to their chins. Erven when they looked like they hated it, they still looked pretty damn cute. The combo of them getting the zoomies in the snow + seeing Walter do his signature deer leaps was just so perfect. The close second high was going to the spa, and have the experience of sitting in the hot tub while it was actively snowing. I’ve never had that happen before, and the experience was so magical. I stopped myself from taking a picture in order to enjoy the moment, and be present in it, and I’m glad I did. The mental snapshots are pretty special.
It did feel nice to sneak away & get a breather from home and the usual routine. We thrive on a vacation, and a snowy trip was ideal for making it feel like the holidays. I was eager to get home + have a little holiday dinner for just us two. Truth be told I ordered new rings for us as a belated 6-year vow renewal gift (we totally missed the mark on getting them ahead of time), so I was hoping our first holiday get together would look something like me making a special meal + gifting Jordan a sweet gift. Rings did not show up as expected, but the plan for a holiday datenight lived on with Winter-75s, Christmas carols playing in the background, and a really yummy Cranberry + Butternut Squash Wellington. It was a meal that felt worthy of dusting off the serving platters and serving up family style on our Winter-y dining table to give it a nice holiday vibe. Honestly this dinner is just so good. Tons of veggies packed + wrapped in a buttery puff pastry with a homemade gravy, mashed potatoes, and this red wine cranberry sauce that has become a staple of the holiday season. It was so tasty + perfect for a holiday meal. Even an early one, and even one for just us two. Hopefully one of a few date-nights this season, but this 1st one felt pretty special.
Wellingtons are our love language of the season
When Jordan + I were in London last year, one of our best meals was going out for a traditional “Sunday roast” as a place called The Gun (I’ll never forget it) and enjoying a vegetarian Wellington in lieu of the traditional beef wellington. It was honestly one of the best things we ate on this trip, and such a memorable meal I can remember so many of the little details. What the restaurant looked like, where we sat, ordering a glass of wine first, and being so excited to enjoy a quintessential British meal. And try Yorkshire pudding for the first time. It all just felt special. We’ve experimented with our own at-home variations, and even found a go to recipe that was our Thanksgiving main this year. It got rave reviews, we were pretty damn proud of ourselves, and we’re keeping the vegetarian Wellington experiments going.
This latest variation - I packed it with butternut squash, kale, caramelized onions, goat cheese, walnuts, and a red wine cranberry sauce. Butternut squash is the star. It’s the heartiest part of the meal, and the most present veggie in every bite, and the kale + onion mixture offsets that soft and rich feel of the squash. The goat cheese adds the tang, and walnuts add the crunch.
The goat cheese was another little x-factor to add some tangyness to the Wellington. It got perfectly melty and was perfect melted in with all the veggies.
It’s all in the wrap
What makes this dish feel so special, and look kind of grand when it’s served up, is the puff pastry wrap. Getting the veggies tucked together tightly and rolled up to get a nice puff pastry + veggie swirl that you’ll see in every slice. Also so fun to serve up this dish in slices. A tight roll and a thorough bake that yields perfectly browned puff pastry is the way to get this thing ready for slicing perfection.
Cranberry sauce is king
This cranberry sauce it the freaking best! The red wine adds such a yummy flavor & depth, but it still has the classic sweet + tart flavor that a cranberry sauce should have. Instead of solely relying on it as a condiment, I dolloped it on top of the veggies and wrapped it up to be a bigger part of the final product. That I thought was cutting edge (I say that as I’m laughing), but honestly it was so good. And still tasted great with gravy slathered on top.
A perfect holiday meal at home and a memorable night that’ll bring a smile to my face every time I think about it.
For the cranberry sauce (can be made a couple days ahead of time)
2 bags of fresh cranberries
1 3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. of red wine
1/2 c. water
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp fresh ginger
pinch of salt
For the Wellington
EVOO
1 butternut squash, peeled + cubed
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
about 4 c. sliced kale
1/4 c. toasted walnuts, chopped
8-12 ounces goat cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt + pepper
1 puff pastry, at room temperature
1 egg, beaten
Add the cranberries, sugar, wine, water, honey, ginger, and salt to a saucepan pot and place over medium heat. When it starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook for 10 minutes. You want to hear the cranberries start to burst. Stir the cranberries, and let it continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes. Stir every 5-10 minutes, reducing the heat even more if the cranberries start to burn. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool.
Prep the veggies. Preheat the oven to 350. Prep a large baking tray with parchment paper. Spread the butternut squash over the baking tray, toss with a couple tbsp of EVOO, a pinch of salt + pepper, and nutmeg. Spread in a thin layer. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. You want the squash to be fork tender, but still a bit firm (not like baby food). As it cooks, place another 2 tbsp EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the onion and stir. When the skillet starts to sizzle, reduce the heat to medium low + cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes+ cooking until it’s caramelized. Add in the kale, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Continue to cook for 7-8 minutes. Turn off the heat.
You want the squash, kale, + cranberry sauce to be cool before making the wellington.
To make the wellington, turn up the heat on the oven to 400. Turn out the puff pastry onto a cutting board. stretch to thin it out, being careful to not rip the pastry. Sprinkle the butternut squash oven the top of the pastry, leaving a 2 inch border around the sides. Sprinkle the walnuts + goat cheese over top top, and dollop on the cranberry sauce. On one short side of the puff pastry, spread the kale + onion mixture like a log. Roll up the puff pastry, starting at the side where the kale is. Roll tightly - if any veggies fall out just stuff them back in from the side. Tuck the ends of the pastry underneath to fully seal the Wellington. It should look like a large burrito. Score the Wellington on top, being careful not to fully slice through the puff pastry. Brush the Wellington with the beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes - rotating the pan half way through. The puff pastry should be browned to perfection, have a crispy bottom, and make a sound when gently tapped.
Remove the Wellington from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes. Serve over a bed of greens and slice up. Serve warm on top of mashed potatoes, a bit of gravy, and any extra cranberry sauce.
Serving notes: serve with mashed potatoes, a simple brown gravy, and either a simple salad or roasted green vegetable.