1 Breckland White pork fillet and black pudding Wellington Paul Robinson

Breckland White pork fillet and black pudding Wellington

2 hours, plus resting cook 45-50 minutes
4 people

Ingredients

for the pastry

600g strong flour

500g unsalted butter

1 tbsp salt

2 tsps malt vinegar

for the pancakes

1 egg and 1 yolk

1 tbsp oil

150ml milk

50g plain flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped

20g butter

for the farce

20g butter

100g onion, diced

2 tbsps red wine

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

100g mushrooms, finely diced

200g black pudding

sea salt & black pepper

for the red wine jus

250g shallots, peeled and finely diced

4 tbsps olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely diced

1 sprig thyme, leaves only

5 tbsps balsamic vinegar

250ml red wine

400ml chicken stock

50g butter

sea salt & black pepper

for the Wellington

450g Breckland white pork fillet

2 tbsps vegetable oil

sea salt & black pepper

flour, for dusting

1 egg, beaten

Method

To make the pastry, sift 500g of flour, then rub into it 100g of butter until there are no more lumps. Mix the salt, vinegar and 450ml of cold water, then add to the flour mix and knead for about 3 minutes to form a slack dough. Place it in a bowl, cover with cling film and rest for 1 hour in the fridge. Roll out the rest of the butter between two sheets of silicone paper into a square about ¾cm thick. Rest at room temperature.

Roll out the rested dough, using plenty of flour on the workbench, to just over double the size of the butter. Peel away a piece of silicone from the butter and place it, butter side down, to one side of the dough. Peel the second piece of silicone away, and fold over the dough to envelop the butter. Push down firmly on the edges of the dough to stop the butter escaping whilst rolling. Using more flour dusted on both the bench and the pastry, roll out the pastry to three times its current length. Fold one third over, followed by the other third on top of the first two folds. Place on a tray, cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Turn the pastry 90 degrees and roll out again to three times its length. Repeat the folding process. Rest again for at least 1 hour. Repeat the process another 4 times (a total of 6 times). Return to the fridge, covered in cling film, until needed.

To make the pancakes, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl with the oil and half the milk and lightly whisk, then add the flour and mix until lump-free. Now add the rest of the flour and the salt. Sieve the batter then add the sage to the mix. Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Add the butter and allow to colour before adding some of the batter (stir the batter before adding to the pan). Make sure the batter covers the base of the pan evenly and turn to a medium heat. Once it starts to colour around the edges try and free the edges using a spatula and gently flip onto the other side for a final minute before transferring to greaseproof paper for later. Prepare 2 pancakes.

To make the farce, heat the butter in a pan then add the onion and fry on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the red wine and garlic and continue cooking for a further 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cover with a lid, allow to slowly cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat. Remove the lid and allow any excess moisture to cook out before crumbling in the black pudding in. Stir in and remove from the heat; season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Allow to cool, then place in the fridge.

To make the red wine jus, heat a saucepan on a medium heat and gently fry the onions in the olive oil until lightly caramelised, then stir in the garlic and thyme. Pour in the vinegar and reduce, then add the red wine and reduce again. Add the chicken stock and reduce by two-thirds, remove from the heat and sieve into a clean pan. Just before serving, bring the sauce to the boil and add the butter, stirring all the time until incorporated, and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

To make the Wellington, once you’ve made all the components, heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Season the pork with salt and freshly cracked black pepper and quick fry until golden in colour, and allow to cool. When cool, lay the pancake on a workbench and cover generously and evenly with the black pudding farce. Place the pork on top of the farce in the middle of the pancake. Gently fold the pancake over the pork and roll the pancake away from you keeping a firm grip and folding the sides of the pancake over the ends of the pork until you form a parcel (this will help hold in the moisture and prevent the pastry going soggy).

Lightly dust the work surface and roll out the pastry into a large rectangle about 5mm thick. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and lightly in the centre to help it bind to the parcel and keep the moisture in. Place the parcel on the edge of the pastry and roll away from you, make sure you crimp all the edges and place the seam at the bottom trimming any excess pastry. Transfer to a tray lined with greaseproof paper and refrigerate (this stage can be done in advance and refrigerated, but allow 2 hours back at room temperature before cooking).

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Brush the parcel with beaten egg. Place the tray with the Wellington on it on top of the hob and cook on a high heat for 3-4 minutes to help avoid a soggy base (be careful not to burn it). Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes. Check the temperature using a meat thermometer – to avoid overcooking you want the centre of the pork to reach 68°C. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and rest for 5 minutes.

To serve, place the Wellington on a chopping board and using a sharp serrated knife cut the Wellington into 2cm thick slices.