Snail and butterflies

Preparation time: 15min   |  Cooking time: 15min   | Servings: 1

Last autumn my daughter went for a walk in the park near the river with her classmates. They brought back a lot of treasures: colorful leaves, small stones, little branches… They also found some snails and kept them in their class (in an aquarium), taking care of them during the whole winter. At the end of winter, they noticed that there were a lot of tiny, baby-snails. They were so small and fragile that the kids use the magnifying glass to watch them. Imagine the excitement! When my daughter told me all that, I decided to make a snail shaped meal for her. I used mashed potato and mushrooms to make the snail. I added some butterflies cut from ham. She was so surprised and happy at the same time; and she loved butterflies:)

Did you know that most snails have thousands of microscopic tooth-like structures located on a ribbon-like tongue called a radula?

Step1 Chop mushrooms and fry them with spices and oil on the frying pan. Adjust the amount of spices to your own taste.

Step2 At the same time, boil the water to cook the potato. Peel it first and cut into cubes, so it cooks quicker. Once the potato is cooked and tender, move it to a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese and milk, then smash it to obtain a puree. You may add some salt and black pepper if you wish. Homemade mashed potato is always so good!

Step3 Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut three butterflies from ham. Cut three thin slices and two small dots from an olive. You may use a straw to cut these dots.

Step4 Place butterflies on a plate and put the olive stripes in the middle to add some decoration. Use a spoon to place the potato puree in the middle of a plate – that will make the snail’s shell. Make a spiral on top using ketchup. Use the mixed mushrooms to shape the snail body and its antennas. Place olive dots on to them to make the snail’s eyes. Use the ketchup to make his mouth. Enjoy!

Snail and butterflies meal