"And once, when [Lucullus] was dining alone, and a modest repast of one course had been prepared for him, he was angry, and summoned the servant who had the matter in charge. The servant said that he did not suppose, since there were no guests, that he wanted anything very costly.
‘What sayest thou?’ said the master, ‘didst thou not know that to-day Lucullus dines with Lucullus?'"


Sunday, July 19, 2015

Mollusc Aqua-terrestrial -- Escargot-Stuffed Mushrooms and Conch Fritters



~~~~~~~~~~~~
  • 1 cup conch meat, chopped, preferably pre-cleaned
  • 1 can escargot, 12 large. *If you keep your own cochlear garden, you win
  • 2 shallots
  • 12 whole mushrooms large enough to hold escargot
  • Cooking oil, enough to fill a deep frying pan
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime
  • 4 celery stalks
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 4 tsp ketchup
  • 2 tsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp mango hotsauce
  • Fresh parsley to taste
  • Fresh thyme to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Escargot (es-kahr-go. Fre: snail) have been prepared as food since time immemorial. Evidence of heliciculture (snail farming) date back to our earliest meals, for archeological sites from the ancient world are littered with empty snail shells and are full of references to a culinary application towards these molluscs. Though eaten as delicacies during Roman times (much to the approbation of Lucullus, I'm sure), the snail as food is popularly attached to the French, to whose famous preparation we thank for the meal's nomenclature: when prepared, the snail is purged, removed from the shell and cooked with garlic, butter, and a pleasant white wine. After cooking, the snails are placed back in their shells along with the butter sauce. Parsley and thyme are usually sprinkled on top when served.In addition to the snails, we also had on hand some conch meat, so we decided to kill two gastropod molluscs with one stone and make a night of it: escargot sitting in a butter-garlic-thyme sauce in a large mushroom, and then conch fritters (Bahaman-style) served with an aioli variant. 
Tonight was the mid-course (read "season") finale of "Hannibal", which ended the "Hannibal Murder Vacation in Italy" arc in a most satisfying way.
As such, here is something veering towards the melancholic - one can discern happiness, lightness and softness in the tempo and arrangement, affording it a kind of excited and uplifting quality; but there are times often the tempo is dimmed and halting, like it's resisting itself or protesting.
~Ciao & Bon Appétit.

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