George said:I am a lacto-mollusk-vegetarian. The mollusks I eat ...are
remarkably rich in iron. Is this a sensible dietary regime?
Yes, "remarkably rich"...
Here is a lacto-mollusk-vegetarian recipe that you won't
find on the web because it comes from an older version of
the well-known cookbook, LAROUSSE GASTRONOMIQUE.
My edition is one of the first English translations of the
GASTRONONOMIQUE which was first published in 1938. All of
the subsequent versions were "modernized". And much of the
history, flair and curiosity found in the original french
publication was lost.
ESCARGOTS =C0 LA BOURGUIGNONNE
Scrape away the chalky substance sealing the shells. Wash
the snails in several waters and soak them for two hours
with coarse salt, vinegar and a pinch of flour. Wash them
again in a lot of water and blanch them for five minutes in
boiling water. Drain and cool under running water. Take the
snails out of their shells. Remove the black part at the end
of the tail known as the cloaca.
Next put the snails in a saucepan. Moisten with equal parts
of white wine and clear snail broth *(see below). The liquid
should just cover the snails. Add carrots, onions, shallots
and a large =ABbouquet garni=BB. Season with one teaspoon (8
grams) of salt to every quart (liter) of stock. Simmer for
three to four hours. Let cool in the stock.
Boil the empty shells for thirty minutes in water with soda
crystals added. Drain them, wash in cold water and dry. Put
inside each shell a piece of butter =AB=E0 la
bourguignonne=BB prepared in advance. Each piece of butter
should be about the size of a hazel-nut. Put the snails in
the shells and seal with Snail Butter =AB=E0 la
bourguignonne=BB **(see below).
Put the filled shells in a dish with a little water at the
bottom (or in a snail dish). Sprinkle with a little fresh
breadcrumbs. Warm in a hot oven. Serve as they are.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Snail Broth=96 =ABBouillon d'Escargots=BB Soak 24 snails
thoroughly as indicated in the recipe Snails =AB=E0 la
bourguignonne=BB. Break the shells and remove the snails.
(Do not dip them in boiling water as this will wash away
their natural gelatine.) Put them in a saucepan. Moisten
with three litres (quarts) of water. Add one or two
lettuces, a handful of purslane leaves and a little salt.
Skim. As soon as the broth is boiling steadily, lower the
heat and simmer slowly for three hours. Add to broth thirty
grams of gum arabic dissolved in a glass of tepid water.
Strain through muslin.
**Snail Butter=96 =ABBeurre Pour Escargots, =E0 la
Bourguignonne=BB The following proportions have been
established for 100 good-sized escargots:
Add the following ingredients to one and one-half pounds
(700 grams) of best (unsalted) butter~ six tablespoons (70
grams) of finely chopped shallots, two cloves of garlic
pounded into a paste, two good tablespoons of chopped
parsley. Season with three teaspoons (24 grams) of salt and
one-quarter teaspoon (4 grams) of pepper. Blend well.
=ABBon app=E9tite!=BB
copied from:
Montagn=E9, Prosper _Larousse Gastronomique_ the
encyclopedia of food, wine & cookery =A91961 Crown
Publishers,Inc. New York pp 194, 882-883
Sub C=F8dex