Ingredients:
olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 stick celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch chilli powder
500 g quality lean beef mince
200 g tinned kidney beans, drained
1 tablespoon tomato puree
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 large free-range eggs, beaten in separate bowls
2 teaspoons plain flour
500 g puff pastry
1 handful Cheddar cheese, grated
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Heat a frying pan and add a splash of olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and celery, and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes, until it's all softened nicely. Add the spices, mix well, cook for another minute, then transfer to a bowl to cool.
Once the vegetables have cooled completely, add the beef mince, kidney beans and tomato puree with a good pinch of salt and pepper and one of the beaten eggs. With clean hands, get right in there and scrunch everything together.
Dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll out the puff pastry. Try to keep it as rectangular in shape as possible. Once it's roughly the size of a tea towel, cut it into 4. Spoon the meat mixture over each piece, leaving clear about 2cm along the bottom, and a small edge up either side. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the meat, brush the bottom edge of the pastry with beaten egg and roll it up into a spiral. Seal both ends with your fingers. Repeat until you have 4 lovely mini Wellingtons.
Dust a baking tray with flour and carefully place the Wellingtons on it. Brush each with the remaining beaten egg, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden. Serve with simple mashed swede and lovely buttered peas and you'll have happy guests.
