Ingredients

Got a kg of lumache this afternoon. The Venetians call them "bovoli" and I can't find the word bovolo (i) on Google. I'll have to ask around. Comunque.... these snails seem to look like the image here below and therefore are called... "HELIX VERMICULATA (eobania) E' chiamata volgarmente "rigatella" (see HYPERLINK "http://www.lumache-elici.com/it/index.html"http://www.lumache-elici.com/it/index.html).

Preparation

After rinsing them with several times with fresh tap water and cleaning out bit of grass, stems and whatever else floats to the top of the water (use a colander) I put them into a big enough pot so that the water comes up at least 4 inches over the snails (some will float). Put a lid on the pot. Turn the flame up high. Stir several times. Turn flame off before the pot come to a serious boil. If you don't pay attention the pot will boil over! Pour out into a colander, save an inch of liquid. Put the snails into a deep serving dish. Pour in olive oil, salt to taste. Put in some crushed garlic and a fist of cut parsley. Let cool and then chill in the frigo. The reason for cooking on the high flame is that the snail will try to leave the shell and then cook (die) before it actually crawls all the way out. If you cook over a slow flame the snail will recede in its shell makeing it hard to eat... you'll need tooth picks and or will have to poke a hole in one side with your tooth and then suck the snail out of its shell - hence all the noise. Therefore the high flame makes it easier to eat the snail. It's fun stuff eating snails in company... the slurping and talking and downing prosecco (even still prosecco)....