We invited a couple of friends for a braai over the weekend. I never know what to make as a starter when I am having braai!
Our local Fruit and Veg sold their mushrooms (white button and large brown) for R10 a punnet recently. I got somewhat carried away and bought way to much!!
With this in the fridge and with some sweet peppers I decided to make something festive. It was a hit! I don’t think I have ever received so many compliments for any dish before!! 
I served this as a starter but it will be just as good as a side dish or as a vegetarian main dish. Be careful when you remove it from the baking tin to ensure that it does not fell apart!!
Ingredients
2 red peppers, grilled and skin removed
2 yellow peppers, grilled and skin removed
250g white button mushrooms, chopped
250g large brown mushrooms, chopped
60ml butter
60ml chopped fresh thyme
salt and freshly grounded black pepper
120ml basil pesto from Pesto Princess
1 x 400g packet short crust pastry
100g blue cheese
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Butter a large baking tin.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the chopped mushrooms and thyme over medium heat till fragrant. Remove from the heat and cool down.
Chop the peppers into cubes and mix with the mushrooms. Season the mixture lightly with salt and pepper.
Roll the pastry out a bit more and cover with the basilpesto.
Spoon the mushroom mixture onto the pastry in the length.
Roll over and combine the ends of the pastry.
Cut the mushroom “Swiss roll” into 10 or 12 slices and place onto the prepared baking tin, making sure that each slice is attached to each other.
Bake the wreath in the pre-heated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until the pastry is brown.
Crumble the blue cheese over the wreath and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool down for 10 minutes and serve as a starter or main dish with a side salad.
Tags: basil pesto, festive, mains, Meatless Mondays, mushrooms, Pesto Princess, short-cut pastry, starter, sweet peppers, Vegetarian, vegetarian Swiss-roll, Vegetarian wreath
Oh wow, Zirks, this is awesome, so so clever and perfect for Christmas!!
You are so clever! What a sensational starter and so pretty too – although I would have to skip the blue cheese – sorry. Wish I had seen the special on the shoorms!
Mandy
That really looks wonderful. So festive. Thanks for sharing the great idea ;o)
That looks absolutely fantastic, I shall HAVE to try to make this.. thank you .. c
you are amazing! Well done on this fantastic looking wreath *makes note to steal idea*
What a Royal Surprise to discover this divine recipe, AND that Pesto Princess features in it! Our most appreciative and humble thanks!
Your recipe looks so grand, we decided to feature it on our Facebook wall… http://ow.ly/7XAhg
Looking forward to trying it out ourselves…. mm-mmm.