Ground Beef Wellington

I got to level with you: This recipe should really bear another title altogether to do it justice! While “Ground Beef Wellington” aptly describes – to some degree – what you are factually getting, the experience of making and enjoying this dish would render itself to a much more emotional title. Think “OMG!” “WOW!” or perhaps “WHOA!”

I mean it, too.

While in the oven, this thing will fill your house with a scent that will make anyone's knees buckle. Not one person will walk into your house who won't comment “Wow, that smells fantastic!”

That's not all, though! Oh no, far from it! This rendition of Beef Wellington looks stunning, too. It's the perfect meal to make if you want to impress company – all without having to lock yourself into the kitchen for hours.

Well, and then there is the taste. After making this dish last night, I ate one huge slice. Then another. Then another. Then I ate one of the end pieces. Then I shared another slice with my wife. I simply could not stop – nor could anyone else!

Finally, the resulting product is mostly beige – the kind of beige that has a lovely golden hue to it. Thus, it is the perfect meal for a difficult eater.

Before you all come over and lift me up on some pedestal, you should be aware that this concoction is not my idea. In fact, like the majority of recipes that can be found in books, on website, or on cooking shows, it is borrowed. This recipe is, in fact, one of Jaimie Oliver's creations – naturally, I have tinkered around with it a bit to make it more appealing to my tastes.

Ingredients:

1 large Onion

1 Carrot

1 Celery Stalk

1 large Potato

4 gloves of Garlic

2 Portobello Mushrooms

4 large sprigs of fresh Rosemary

a handful of frozen Peas

1 Egg

1 lb. Ground Beef

2 sheets of Puff Pastry

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

a bit of all-purpose flour

Let's get started:

If your puff pastry is frozen, make sure to take it out of the freezer so that it can thaw. Generally, the puff pastry sheets need about 30 minutes until you can work them. Do not try to unfold the sheets straight out of the freezer – they will break if you attempt to do so.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel and chop the onion into chunks roughly ¼ inch in size.

Peel and chop the carrot into chunks roughly ¼ inch in size.

Peel and chop the potato into chunks roughly ¼ inch in size.

Chop the celery.

Mince the garlic.

Wipe the mushrooms with a paper towel and chop into ¼ inch chunks.

Remove the leaves from the sprigs of the rosemary and finely chop them.

Heat a large frying pan over medium to medium-low heat.

Add about 2 Tbs. of olive oil.

Add the chopped vegetables and the rosemary to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and have started to change a bit in color.

Add the frozen peas, stir, and fry for another minute.

Remove the vegetables from the pan and place them in a large bowl where they can cool down.

Crack one egg into a small bowl or cup and beat it lightly with a fork.

Next, add the ground beef to the bowl with the vegetables.

Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Add about half of the beaten egg.

With your hands, mix all the ingredients until well blended.

Spread a little bit of the flour on your work surface and on a rolling pin.

Unfold the puff pastry sheets and place them on top of each other.

With the rolling pin, enlarge them until you have a rectangle roughly 12x16 inches in size.

If any of the puff pastry sticks to the rolling pin, make sure to add another dusting of flour.

Place the long edge of the rectangle toward you.

Place the ground beef and vegetable mixture along this edge and form it into a thick, sausage-like shape.

Make sure you leave some space at the sides – I actually like to have the meat mixture decrease a bit in diameter toward the edges so that I can close the pastry completely without having to squeeze any of the meat/vegetable filling.

With a pastry brush, spread a little bit of the beaten egg along the edges of the pastry. This will help in making the puff pastry stick together.

Lift the puff pastry along the long edge that faces you and start rolling it up to completely envelope the meat mixture.

Make sure to squeeze the ends together as well.

Dust a large oven-safe pan or a rimmed cookie sheet with a bit of flour.

Carefully transfer your rolled-up puff pastry to the pan/cookie sheet.

With your pastry brush, spread the remaining beaten egg on top of the puff pastry roll.

Place the pan/cookie sheet in the hot oven and bake for about 45 minutes.

Check to ensure that the puff pastry attains a lovely golden hue.

Remove from oven and cut into 1-inch slices.

Serve immediately.