I Can't Believe It's Not Snails

Photo © Rob Jones

You always know where you were when you ate your first snails.

It was 1982.

I was in Brussels and working for a newspaper in the culture department. I was young, and there was a mature (and very large) colleague who decided that he needed to introduce me to the best of Flemish cuisine. Who was I to deny him that pleasure.

We agreed to meet in Antwerp, and took in a Rubens exhibition first. Then it was back into the centre of town for lunch. Steak Frites of course. But to start with - S N A I L S.

I loved them, but just felt that the portion was a little small. I think my host was a little hurt by the suggestion. I had not learned by that time that it was the taste that mattered, not the portion size.

So … today I was thinking that I could easily polish off some Escargot Bourguignon.

But… scoured the local supermarket with no joy.

Then I thought - WAIT - all those years ago, when asked what I thought of the Escargot, I also hurtfully compared them to mushrooms.

Only - they don’t look like snails. But - the stalks do…

Method:

Pluck about a dozen stalks from some mushrooms - look for the longest fattest stalks in the shops.

In a bowl, mix together a couple of dollops of butter, two chopped garlic ‘toes’ as they say in Flemish, some Parsley, and a dash of white wine.

Find a nice looking dish that you can both cook and serve the dish in. Spread a layer of the butter mix, overlay the mushroom stalks, and then spread some more buttery mixture on top.

Cook until sizzling.

Serve with some chopped spring onion tails - the green bits.

And of course some of the Soda Bread which you made earlier.

RJ