Millennium is a very well established vegan restaurant located in the heart of San Francisco. They have published two cookbooks: The Millennium Cookbook and The Artful Vegan. After the first few months of working at Apple, I began to adapt their recipes into my weekly menus in what was soon to be known as Millennium Fridays. These special Fridays required a lot of attention to detail and at least a pantry full of ingredients. I continued this endeavor for about a year, but this journey came to a halt when my duties at the cafe were, for a lack of a better term, "changed". The Millennium dish below made a special appearance the past week, as it was one of our chef's favorite.
Red lentil, rosemary, and lemon orecchiette
Orecchiette is a pasta from a region of Southern Italy and its name comes from its shape, resembling that of a small ear. What made this dish is the special "sauce" made from extra-virgin olive oil, sweet yellow onions, a bit of garlic, red lentils, fresh rosemary, red chili flakes, vegetable stock, Meyer lemon zest, and fresh Meyer lemon juice. Do not skimp on the fresh lemon juice and use the bottled stuff. It's not the same. Fresh lemon juice gives it a "zing" factor that makes the dish. The cooked pasta is then tossed with the red lentil sauce, fresh wild arugula, fresh cherry tomatoes, capers, and a pinch of Hawaiian sea salt. And yes, the type of salt makes a big difference too.
Buon Appetito!
