Pork Wellington in Butternut Squash Puree

Normally I'm not a massive fan of pork. It's fairly tasteless, I always end up overcooking it and inevitably end up wishing I had just splashed the cash on steak instead. But I'm a total convert when it comes to this show-stopping dish. It is a lot of effort but for a celebration dinner with an autumnal feel this is the perfect meal!

Pork Wellington in Butternut Squash Purée 

Ingredients: (makes 1 large Wellington)

• 1 pork fillet (about 1 lb in weight)
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 a leek
• 1/2 a butternut squash
• 1 courgette
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 4 leaves fresh coriander 
• Pinch of sage 
• 1 tsp sugar
• Dash of milk, to brush the pastry 
• Handful of flour

For the pastry - this is the BBC Good Food Basic Shortcrust Pastry recipe:

• 225g plain flour
• 100g butter (diced)
• Pinch of salt

Method:

For the Pastry:

• Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface. Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.

For the filling:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Roughly chop the leek, carrot, courgette and butternut squash. You will need to peel the carrot and butternut squash prior to chopping it up. Roast the vegetables in the oven for 25 minutes on a baking tray sprayed with a little olive oil spray or covered in a splash of cooking oil. 
• Once roasted, place the cooked veg into a blender and blend. You may need to add a small amount of cold water to enable the veg to be blended into a thick purée. This should make an amount that is enough for the dish plus some leftovers- it makes a great dip to be accompanied by some tortilla chips for lunch the next day! 
• Add the seasoning to the purée along with the sugar and salt and pepper, and mix in. Set aside the purée and allow to cool.  
• Moving on to the pork fillet: season the fillet with salt and pepper and dust with a small sprinkling of flour. 
• On a sheet of baking parchment, roll out the pastry into a rectangle large enough to wrap the pork fillet in. Leaving a gap of around 2cm around the edges, spread a layer of the purée onto the pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with milk then place the pork fillet on top of the pastry and roll up like a giant sausage. Seal the overlap and seal the ends. 
• Use the baking parchment to lift the Wellington onto a greased baking tray. (Using the parchment to lift it should stop it from breaking.) Glaze the Wellington with milk before baking in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for 45 minutes. 
• Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.