Snails, Sicilian Style - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs land snails
water
salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
black pepper, Freshly ground
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preparation

There is a small membrane, known as an operculum, at the opening of each snail.
Use a toothpick to remove this membrane and it will come off easily.
Place the snails in a basin and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
Drain and rinse once more in cold water that contains a generous amount of salt.
Rinse once more in cold water before cooking.
Add four quarts of cold water to a kettle and add the snails and about three tablespoons salt.
Bring slowly to a boil and simmer six minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, place the garlic and one teaspoon of salt in a small, heavy bowl.
Crush the garlic with a pestle or the back of a heavy spoon to make a paste.
Add the oil, pepper (to taste), lemon juice, and six tablespoons cold water.
Stir with a whisk to blend.
Drain the snails and serve hot with the sauce cold.
Note: To eat the snails, pull out the meat with a pick and dip them one at a time in the sauce.
The whole snail may be eaten, although the most fastidious prefer to skip the soft after end of the meat, which is the digestive tract.