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Wellington (Beef)

Cook a big batch of wellington (Beef) in one go and freeze it. On a busy night, that part of dinner is already made.

Plan my cook day
Wellington (Beef)

Can you freeze wellington (Beef)?

Yes, before its final cook. Freeze it in portions, one to each container.

How to freeze and defrost it, with the Food Standards Agency’s advice at each step.

The recipe

One batch makes 6 portions.

Ingredients for 6 portions

Method

Sear the beef

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
  2. Pat beef fillet, a single piece from the thick centre of the fillet, dry with kitchen paper and put it on a roasting tray.
  3. Brush with olive oil and season with black pepper.
  4. Roast for 15 minutes for medium-rare, or 20 for medium.
  5. Remove the beef from the oven and let it cool completely, then chill it in the fridge.

Mushroom duxelles

  1. Finely chop chestnut mushroom until they look like coarse breadcrumbs. A food processor is quicker for a big batch; pulse it so they don't turn to paste.
  2. Heat a splash of olive oil and unsalted butter in a large pan over a medium heat.
  3. Add the mushrooms and fresh thyme and fry for 10 minutes until soft, stirring often.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Pour in white wine and cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until the wine has gone and the mixture holds its shape.
  6. Remove the mushroom duxelles from the pan and discard the thyme. Let cool completely.

Wrap the beef

  1. Lay two overlapping sheets of cling film on a large board. Lay prosciutto on top in a double row, slightly overlapping.
  2. Spread half the cooled duxelles over it.
  3. Put the chilled beef on top and spread the rest of the duxelles over the beef.
  4. Use the cling film to roll everything up tightly into a sausage shape, then twist the ends.
  5. Chill the wrapped fillet in the fridge while preparing the pastry.

Roll the pastry

  1. Dust your work surface with plain flour, keeping a little back for rolling.
  2. Roll a third of puff pastry into a rectangle about 18 x 30 cm and put it on a non-stick baking sheet.
  3. Roll the rest into a rectangle about 28 x 36 cm.
  4. Unwrap the beef and put it in the middle of the smaller rectangle.

Glaze

  1. Separate medium egg and beat the yolks with water to make an egg wash. Keep the whites for something else.
  2. Brush it over the pastry edges and the top and sides of the wrapped beef.
  3. Drape the larger rectangle over the top and press it into the sides.
  4. Trim the joins to leave a 4 cm rim and seal it with a fork.
  5. Brush all over with more egg wash, then score long diagonal lines on top with the back of a knife, without cutting through.
  6. Chill the assembled Wellington. Keep the rest of the egg wash covered in the fridge.

To eat now

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
  2. Brush with a little more egg wash.
  3. Bake for 25 minutes for medium-rare, until the pastry is golden and crisp.
  4. Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into thick slices.

How to freeze

  1. cool any warm dishes before putting them in your freezer, says the Food Standards Agency.
  2. Put the lid on the container.

How to defrost

  1. the safest way to defrost food is in the fridge overnight, says the Food Standards Agency.
  2. Take the lid off.
  3. Brush with egg wash.
  4. Heat it in the oven until it’s steaming hot all the way through and golden.
  5. it is important that food is cooked to steaming hot throughout, rather than warmed, says the Food Standards Agency.
  6. Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into thick slices.

How we’d cook it, not advice. We don’t check recipes for allergens, and ingredients vary by brand, so check the label on everything you use. Prepare and cook food the way the Food Standards Agency says. Allergens and food safety

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No special kit

  • Works best in a foil tray with a lid Any freezer-safe container does the job too.
  • Everything from one shop Batch cook it with Nomstash and the foil trays with lids go on the same shopping list as the food.

Cook what you already cook

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    Paste it in from Excel or Google Sheets, or choose a CSV file, and Nomstash reads it into your stash.

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Freezing and defrosting safely

The Food Standards Agency’s advice, in their words.

  • Label everything you freeze.

    label food you freeze so you don’t end up with Unidentified Frozen Objects (UFOs)

The rest of the Food Standards Agency’s advice, in their words, is in our freezing and defrosting guide.

Sources

  1. Food Standards Agency How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely gov.uk
  2. Food Standards Agency Cooking your food gov.uk

Last checked . Each quotation on this page was read against the page it links to.

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