Lumache alla Marchigiana

Ingredients

• 5 pounds snails
• purged overnight with 1/2 pound cornmeal or 2 cans escargot
• 6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions
• thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic
• thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup black olives
• with pits
• 1 cup basic tomato sauce
• recipe follows
• 1 Spanish onion
• cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 cloves garlic
• thinly sliced
• 3 ounces virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 2 tablespoons dried)
• 1/2 medium carrot
• finely shredded
• 2 28 -ounce cans of tomatoes
• crushed and mixed well with their juices
• Salt
• to taste

Instructions

1. If live, steam snails 1 hour, or until they leave their shells.
2. Remove and rinse.
3. In a 12 inch to 14 inch saute pan, heat olive oil until smoking.
4. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until soft and lightly brown.
5. Add thyme leaves, snails, wine, olives and tomato and bring to a boil.
6. Lower heat and simmer 30 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
8. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent, but not brown (about 10 minutes).
9. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more.
10. Add the tomatoes.
11. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to just bubbling, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.
12. Season with salt to taste.
13. Serve immediately, or set aside for further use.
14. The sauce may be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for up to 6 months.
15. Yield: 6 cups
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