A San Francisco restaurant has the perfect dish for elegant holiday entertaining: exotic mushroom ceviche.
By J.M. HIRSCH, Associated Press
Published December 28, 2003
CONCORD, N.H. - Just once I'd like to throw a glamorous New Year's Eve party, something a notch or two above sitting on the couch with my wife, a pizza, a stack of DVDs and the obligatory bubbly.
Of course, it never will happen. By the time Dec. 31 rolls around I'm usually so maxed out with holiday cheer the most I'm ever likely to manage is adding another couple and a second pizza to the couch. But if I ever did, I would want the folks behind San Francisco's Millennium Restaurant in charge of the food.
This 10-year-old vegan restaurant works hard to dismiss the myth that meat- and dairy-free food can't hold its own on gourmet ground. This is not brown rice and tofu, and this is not couch fare.
The Millennium menu abounds with compelling, complex and elegant dishes such as chilled potato vichyssoise with black truffle sorbet, and celery root ravioli stuffed with beets and matsutake mushrooms in a lobster mushroom creme.
The restaurant's latest book, The Artful Vegan (Ten Speed Press, 2003, $24.95), by Eric Tucker, Bruce Enloe and Amy Pearce, is a collection of 130 such recipes, combined with succulent photography and information on organic wines.
As with those in the restaurant's first volume, The Millennium Cookbook, these recipes are not for the timid. Many call for numerous and sometimes unusual ingredients, and can be time-consuming.
It's a trade-off. Though sometimes a bit overwhelming, Millennium recipes are surprisingly reliable and especially good (characteristics not particularly common in vegan cookbooks). The restaurant's first cookbook inspired a somewhat cultish following for those reasons.
These are not everyday dishes, and the additional effort is rewarded. Millennium meals are every bit a special occasion, and have just the right panache for an end-of-year bash.
For my fantasy party, I would turn to the appetizers of The Artful Vegan.
For your elegant party, try Millennium's exotic mushroom ceviche, which involves "cooking" with acidic citrus juices instead of heat, and cumin-balsamic roasted mushrooms.
The ceviche is a tasty, pleasantly tart salsa-like appetizer that looks stunning served in martini glasses. The Millennium folks call for garnishing it with specially prepared tortilla strips, but gourmet corn chips would save time and be just as tasty.
Exotic Mushroom Ceviche
8 ounces maitake mushrooms, cut into bite-size pieces
8 ounces oyster mushrooms
4 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, halved
To make the ceviche, combine the maitake, oyster and cremini mushrooms, 2/3 of the lime juice, the olive oil and the salt in a mixing bowl. Toss well and cover.
Marinate for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, combine the onion, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, garlic, chilies, orange juice, orange zest, oregano, cilantro and remaining lime juice in a mixing bowl.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the marinated mushrooms to the onion-cucumber salsa mixture and toss to combine.
To serve, divide the ceviche among 8 martini glasses. Garnish with a wedge of lime and tortilla chips.
Makes eight servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 111 calories, 7.2g fat, 11g carbohydrates, 3.3g protein, 2.5g dietary fiber, 127mg sodium.
Recipe from "The Artful Vegan" by Eric Tucker, Bruce Enloe and Amy Pearce (Ten Speed Press, 2003).
Cumin-Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chili powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons tamari (similar to soy sauce, but darker and richer)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
16 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms
Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Preheat the broiler.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms, toss to coat and set aside to marinate 10 to 15 minutes.
Place the mushrooms, stems up, in a baking dish, and brush marinade over them.
Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are brown and dry.
Serve warm or let cool to room temperature.
Makes six servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 43 calories, 2.8g fat, 6g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 1.2g dietary fiber, 250mg sodium.
Recipes from "The Artful Vegan" by Eric Tucker, Bruce Enloe and Amy Pearce (Ten Speed Press, 2003).
