-
1
Purge the live snails for 5 to 7 days in a lidded, ventilated container with damp lettuce leaves or a bed of cornmeal, changing the feed daily. Discard any snail that has not sealed its operculum or shows no sign of life. The snails are ready when their digestive tracts are clear and no dark matter is visible at the foot.
-
2
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the purged snails and poach at a steady simmer for 30 minutes. Drain. Using a small fork or pick, extract each snail from its shell, trim away the dark visceral sac at the rear, and rinse the cleaned foot under cold running water. The foot should feel firm and the flesh pale grey-beige with no bitter smell remaining.
-
3
Place the diced lard in a terracotta pot over low heat. Render slowly until the fat has fully liquefied and the pork solids have begun to turn golden and lightly crisp at the edges. The rendered fat should be clear and aromatic, with a faint sizzle audible but no aggressive spitting.
-
4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Add the cleaned snails to the terracotta pot along with the rosemary sprigs, garlic cloves, and the dried chilli if using. Keep the heat very low. Braise in the rendered lard for 20 minutes, turning the snails occasionally so they absorb the fat and aromatics evenly. Do not allow the heat to climb: the snails toughen rapidly at high temperature. At the end of 20 minutes they should be tender to a gentle press between two fingers, the rosemary fragrance fully dominant in the pot.
-
5
Pour in the white wine in a single addition and allow it to reduce completely over the same low heat, 3 to 4 minutes. The sharp wine smell should give way to a rounded, integrated aroma. Scatter the chopped parsley, remove the rosemary sprigs, and taste the cooking fat for salt.
-
6
Transfer to the table in the terracotta pot. Serve with thick slices of country bread to absorb the aromatic cooking fat, which by this point will be extraordinary in its concentration of rosemary, garlic, and pork.