CANTABRIAN COOKERY

I think that Cantabrian Cookery is wonderful. You have all kinds of dishes, which are really tasty. I think the main reason of this variety of dishes is the special situation and geography of this region.
Cantabria is a mountainous coastal region, so its gastronomy is very complete. We have a lot of different fish and meat dishes, including some dishes of game, great pottages, excellent desserts and above all the best row materials. Besides, there are very good milk products, yogurts and butter, for example.
We can cook fish or meat in a lot of ways using the best vegetables and condiments you can imagine, for example tomatoes, mushrooms, rosemary, laurel, etc.
Our most famous dishes are some desserts and sweet products, like "sobaos" or "quesadas", whose secret is the good cantabrian milk, butter and eggs. Besides, other very tasty and popular dish is the "cocido montañes", whose main ingredients are beans and cabbage.
The quality of all these products is the guarantee for our dishes’ magnificent taste.
One of our typical Christmas dishes is the following:

SNAILS
Ingredients for 4 people:
1 kg. of snails 1 small glass of white wine
200g. bacon 1 medium tin of red peppers
200g. chorizo 1 spoonful of flour
200g. ham 1 spoonful of Spanish paprika
200g. mushrooms 3 Guinea peppers
100g. olives without pips Black pepper
4 eggs Parsley
1 medium onion Salt and olive oil.
4 cloves of garlic
Method:
First of all we have to wash the snails with cooking salt and after that boil them for ten minutes.
Then we need a large casserole where you have to pour a huge slosh of olive oil, dice the bacon and add it. Cook for some minutes. When it is brown slightly, cut the onion and add it.
While it’s turning transparent, you can dice the chorizo and ham.
After cooking them over a slow fire, sift the Spanish paprika and stir them into the casserole.
After mashing the garlics and parsley with spices, add the white wine and pour the mixture into the casserole. Cook them over a slow fire for some minutes.
Then add the snails and pour water just enough to cover them.
Add the olives, peppers and mushrooms.
Let them boil during 45 minutes.
Finally, you break the eggs into the casserole and stir from the center, gradually mixing in the ingredients from the sides.
And that’s all !
It’s just ready to be served.
Although this is a very potent dish, people think it’s delicious.
As you can see this is a personal version of a typical Cantabrian recipe of snails.

Carmen Bello