Free Range Friday ~ Greece

Linda got home from Greece yesterday and brought along a couple of wonderful cookbooks with her. Of course, I immediately dove into them and while it might not be my favorite recipe to make (though I do like all of the ingredients and would probably like this a lot), it was definitely one of my favorite to read.

Snail Stew 
(Salingaria stifado)
(from The Traditional Greek Cookery Book) photo credit: unknown
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

portion 4-6

1 kilo of large snails

1 kilo of spring onions

1 1/2 cups of oil (olive, of course)

7 cloves of garlic 

1/2 cup of vinegar

1 teaspoonful of rosemary

3 bay leaves

5 ripe tomatoes

salt

pepper

1. Put the snails in a pot with water to stand overnight. Cover with something heavy so that they don't escape (obviously important if you want dinner). Wash them well, removing all dirt.

2. Put them on to heat with water. When some scum begins to appear on the surface, usually just before boiling, add salt and stir vigorously, always in the same direction.

Time out here. Isn't that second direction exactly how we should deal with human scum? Stir 'em in, salted, and get them back in the direction of...well you get the idea. 

Back to 2.

Boil for about 15 minutes. Take a knife - this should be very sharp - and make a hole in the back of the shell. Rinse them well in water in which they have been boiled so that don't lose their taste.

3. Skin and wash the onions. Put the oil, the onions and the garlic in a saucepan to brown. Add the tomatoes, skinned and chopped, the bay leaves, the rosemary and the salt and pepper. Supplement with water then cover and allow to simmer. When the onions are almost ready, add the snails and allow to simmer together until moisture has been absorbed and only sauce remains. It is ready to serve.

Snail stew is a marvellous appetizer, which you will find in many Greek tavernas. If the snails are collected from an area where there is a lot of thyme, they will be even tastier.

I'll be looking for some snail eaten thyme as soon as I get home. Buen provecho!

Have a don't let your snails escape Friday. Do something not fried.