Vegan Escargot (You know, all the yummy goodness without the snails)

One of the reasons I started this blog was because I had this idea to go through a traditional cookbook and veganize all (or most) of the recipes and post them here, with photos.  This has been done before.  Even the movie Julie and Julia, while not remotely vegan, was based on a blog about working one's way through a cookbook and posting the results.  I have a particular British cookbook in mind, and I need to order it online, as it's not in stores.  I was also hoping to be able to make a separate section here just for recipe blog entries, but I haven't been able to figure out how to categorize my blogs yet.  These are the things I am working on!  But whenever I get it all together, those recipes are going to be damn tasty!  (We've been trying some of them out and taste testing them already, using the few recipes posted online from the book I plan to get.)

In the meantime, here is a recipe I originally made a few years ago, when there was a fabulous project online called Hezbollah Tofu.  I know the woman who started that ended up not having the time to keep up with all the recipes we readers submitted, and she had someone else take over the project.  Now, when I look for it online, I find a site, but no project anymore.  The concept of Hezbollah Tofu came about when a rather famous chef described vegans in an interview as being so militant and extreme that we were comparable to Hezbollah, the terrorist organization in Lebanon.  Comparing pacifists who refuse to participate in animal cruelty to violent, militant terrorists may have seemed like a great way to get some publicity, and hey-- I guess if you can't cook, Anthony Bourdain, you do what you have to do.

At any rate, the Hezbollah Tofu project was started by a wonderful woman who decided to collect vegan versions of Bourdain's animal based recipes and publish them in a book, donating any profits to animal rescue groups.  A noble plan indeed.  I submitted a few recipes, one of which I saw on the site before the project was turned over to others, and I don't know what happened after that.  I am hopeful that somewhere out there, there is indeed a book of vegan recipes that includes my version of Champagne Scallops.  But whatever happened to that project, here is my recipe for vegan escargot, or, since the snails are long gone, Escargone.  Enjoy!

2-3 packs whole, crimini mushrooms (about 30 to 40), cleaned and de-stemmed

2 shallots, finely chopped

½ c. white wine

1 entire head of garlic, cloves peeled and pressed or very finely chopped

Approx. 1½ c. loosely packed flat leaf parsley

¼ c. Earth Balance butter (or any other vegan margarine), preferably room temperature

Sliced crostini or baguette or mini toasts

            In a large skillet or dutch oven, bring the mushrooms, shallot, garlic, and wine to a simmer.  Cook until the mushrooms have given off all of their liquid and the wine has reduced a bit, about 10-15 minutes.

            Chop the parsley in a food processor.  Add the vegan butter and process until well combined.  Add the parsley paste to the mushrooms and continue to cook over medium-high heat until most of the liquid has been reduced.

            If desired, lightly toast the crostini slices in a skillet over low heat.  Serve the mushroom mixture over the bread while everything is sizzling hot.

           

**Note: Obviously, this doesn’t taste exactly like traditional escargots, but the mushrooms have a similar shape, size, and color to the non-vegan version.  And if you like garlic and mushrooms, you’ll like this.  In fact, this recipe could just make a grown man cry.