Lumache alla romana - Snails, Roman Style

To prepare and cook snails

• 4 pounds living and crawling land snails,
• 4 slices bread, soaked in water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons salt

To Sauce the cooked snails

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 6 anchovy filets
• 1 large can tomatoes
• 1 sprig fresh mint
• 1 pinch red pepper

Method Preparation of Snails: Put snails in a large vessel with the soaked bread broken into pieces.  Keep snails in this pan for two days, covering pan so that they may breathe freely but not find their way out and into your kitchen.  After 2 days, blend water, vinegar and salt in an extremely large bowl.  Put in snails.   Unless you are quite hardy, put on a pair of rubber gloves and toss the snails with your hands.  The snails will begin to foam.  Essentially, they are losing some of their liquid nature.  Repeat with a new mix of water, vinegar and salt until they stop foaming.  This may take a few changes of water.  When no longer foaming, rinse in another bath of water. Place snails in large pan, with enough water to cover over a low flame. When snails begin to push out of their shells, raise heat to medium-high and boil about 10 to 12 minutes. Preparing the cooked snails: Over medium heat, cook garlic in olive oil until just becoming golden.  Do not allow to brown and heaven forbid it burn!  Add anchovies, breaking up with a spoon as they simmer, and cook until they are disintegrated.  Stir in tomatoes and season with salt to taste.  Cook, stirring, over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add mint, red pepper and snails (drained). Simmer for about half an hour and serve. Serves: 6 Contributor: pat ciesla more roman recipes   top of page