FredGuitarraOle -> RE: Flamenco Food Thread (Apr. 5 2013 17:06:05)
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quote:
Awesome thanks Fred! So it sounds like I basically make an unsalted broth, then cook the snails in it and salt to taste. How long do the big ones cook for? Is there some way to tell if they're ready? Yup, that's basically it. My grandmother usualy justs put them cooking on water with low heat and does that trick so they die when they are half out of their shells. When they are dead, then she starts making the broth. But you can start by making the broth first and then add the snails, I've seen other people doing it like that. The base of the broth is olive oil, garlic and onions, along with bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, etc... You can salt them at this point or later, I've also seen it done both ways. How long it takes to cook them I don't know, it can take from one to three hours, it depends on how high the heat is. My grandmother usualy cooks them in low heat in order to "refine" better the broth, so it takes a little more time. But in a restaurant they are cooked against the clock and they also come out good. It also depends on the snails size, obviously the big ones will take a bit longer. When you think they are already cooked, take one out and with a toothpick take it out of its shell. If it comes out easy then it should be alredy cooked, I guess. But taste it either way to check if it is still raw and if it is good on salt. After you turn off the heat don't take them out of the pot just yet, let them be there for a few minutes so they can gain their final taste. Also, while they are cooking, remember to check them from time to time and take that foam they produce out. Oh, and don't cook them on too much water. Cook them in a large pot with the level of water a couple of fingers above the snails. I think that's it. Remember that the broth and how you make it is what gives the snails their taste. You can make it in many diferent ways and with different ingredients and spices, I guess it depends on your personal taste. You got to experiment with them until you find that taste you experienced in Ronda. But since you're a cook already, you won't have problems with that.[;)] By the way, this is how we usualy cook them in Portugal. I don't know exactly how they do in Andaluzia but it's more or less the same thing, I can tell you that. The main difference lies on the size of the snails as I said before, they prefer the big ones.
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