Before I get to my post
on the slimy delights affectionately named escargot by the French – bless them!
– let me say that today is the day, guys. Its “Men Make Dinner" day, and I’m
not the least bit impressed with the men in my life. I’ve had just one attempt
at the #CookingForAnaale challenge. Unfortunately, Robert Afulimi’s good
intentions to feed me lunch yesterday went down the drain because he made me kontonmire sauce with palm oil and I
have a palm oil intolerance. I do however appreciate the efforts. And
to be clear, I don’t even need to eat it, just cook it!
As I’m trying to be merciful, despite
my rather foul mood at the total lack of motivation from most of my male
friends to cook, I’m still going to be nice and post a recipe today! Hopefully this
will inspire many to try their hands at cooking for a change!
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Anaale’s Sautéed
Escargot, the mollusk must eat meal of the year! But before that,
Behold,
The lecture...
Snails come from a phylum
of animals known as mollusks. Mollusks are a group of invertebrates, animals
that do not have a vertebral column, most of which have shells and live either
in water or on land. There are ten classes of mollusks (two of which are
extinct) but for fear that you might stop reading, I will name only three living classes: Gastropoda (snails and slugs), Bivalvia (oysters, mussels and
clams) and Cephalopoda (squids and octopuses).
Thankfully quite a number
of daring human beings from prehistoric times, and the French and Chinese in
the space of a few centuries, already conducted highly risky experiments to
test the edibility of mollusks and so we know today that squids, clams and snails,
among others, make great dishes.
Snails are an excellent
substitute for other animal proteins in a meal because they supply a good
amount of protein and comparably less fat. They are also high in iron,
potassium, Vitamin E, Copper, Selenium and other nutrients.
The
Fun side...
Not only were the French
daring enough to, you know, eat these slimy creatures but they gave them a name
so elegant that we can hold our heads high in a dimly lit restaurant and say with flair “can I have some escargot?”
without conjuring the image of these slimy, sluggish things.
S'il
vous plaît, puis-je avoir des escargots?
Oh heavens!, hear how good that
sounds!
The Real Deal...
Okay guys, so all the
plenty talk just to share my sautéed escargot recipe may be getting wearying.
So find it below. Note that it’s a pretty hot dish and definitely not for the
faint-hearted!
Sautéed Escargot Recipe
Ingredients
1. Six (6) large snails, weighing about
300g without shells (cleaned and prepared, see below)
2. Two (2) large carrots,
julienned (make strips slightly thicker than a regular julienne cut)
3. One (1) large onion, chopped
4. Peppers:
One (1) green bell pepper, chopped
Nine (9) hot chilli peppers, sliced
(preferrabley
a mixture of Madamme Jeanettes and green and red scotch bonnets).
Do not seed if
you live on the edge like I do!
5. Two (2) tablespoons of oil (I
have a coconut oil craze but I choose a less strongly flavored oil for this
recipe. Use olive or soybean oil)
6. Mixed dry herbs, as
desired (go for mixtures of oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley and basil)
7. Salt to taste (about ½ a teaspoon)
To clean and prepare
snail,
Use lime juice or vinegar
to wash (at least twice). This takes out the slim and reduces the earthy flavor
of the snails. Boil snails afterwards till cooked, usually takes about 20
minutes. At this stage you usually won’t need any seasoning though you can drop
a few cloves into the boiling water. After they are cooked, cut in halves and
set aside.
Preparation.
1. Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat
2. Fry hot peppers only
You will require a nose mask
for this. Remember to leave your windows open for ventilation and drive everyone
out of the house.
3. Add prepared snails and
sauté till they look just slightly browned. You may lower heat and cover in
between stirs if you want snails slightly moist
4. Add dry herb seasoning
5. Add vegetables,
carrots first, then bell peppers and then onions at ten second intervals. Do
not overcook (aim at a one minute cook counting from addition of carrots)
6.Add salt to taste
Serve with steamed rice
or other carbohydrate of your choice. Add a dash of Tabasco sauce if you are daring enough!
Serves 3
Calories
per serving….230 Calories
14g carbohydrates
of which
6g sugars
11.5g fat
18g protein
3g fiber
490mg sodium
If you do not add any
salt at all, sodium content will be 110 mg per serving. Adding more than half a teaspoon of
salt will increase sodium content. Check
label of your seasoning to be sure it doesn’t contain added salt. If it
contains more than 300 mg of sodium per serving, do not add additional salt.
