Halloween Slimy Snails

Team slimy snails (savoury stuffed giant pasta shells) and black widow cake (liquorice flavoured loveliness) with spooky spuds with scary toppings, hocus pocus patatas bravas, lantern soup and devilish red cabbage - for a fiendish feast to please even your most ghoulish guests.

Find the recipes online at www.vegsoc.org

Makes 12 snails
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Can be vegan*

Ingredients

For the snails:

• 12 large conchiglioni rigati pasta shells (cook a few extra in case any split)
• 2 little gem lettuce
• 50g mangetout
• 200g cream cheese or vegan cream cheese*
• 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped (including some green)
• 4 cocktail gherkins, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• ½ cucumber, sliced

For the slime trail:

• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp mixed green fresh herbs, chopped

Procedure

• Cook the pasta shells for 10-15 minutes. Once the pasta is cooked, but still firm, drain and cool down quickly under cold water. Set the shells aside.
• Remove the larger of the little gem leaves and set these aside. Shred the remaining leaves. Make antennae for later by cutting two of the mange tout length ways (you need 24 slithers in total) and finely chop up the rest to go in the filling for the next step.
• Combine the cream cheese, coriander, parsley, spring onions, gherkins, chopped mange tout, garlic, lime and 3 tbsp of the shredded little gem leaves.
• Assemble the snails by stuffing the filling into the shells and place each one onto a slice of cucumber. Place each snail onto an individual little gem leaf. Add the mange tout antennas to the snails.
• Make the snail slime by whisking together the olive oil and herbs with a fork. Drizzle this over the snail and leave to make a slime trail.
• Serve on a big platter with any spare shredded lettuce, cucumber or slime in the middle of the plate for presentation. Guests should pick up a piece of lettuce, with a slimy snail on top, to eat!

*Keep it veggie - make sure that any cheese you use is suitable for vegetarians and choose free range eggs.

© The Vegetarian Society 2012.