Fer au Vin is translated as “snake with wine”. This dish is not for the squeamish or faint of heart – but it is delicious!
Almost any snake will work, but the adders are nice and fat with lots of meat.
In this case we will prepare and eat mamba.
Justice will be done – we are killing and eating them for a change.
Cleaning your mamba
Ingredients
- 15ml (1 tablespoon) Vegetable oil, butter or fat
- 75g (3 oz) bacon, rinded and chopped
- 175g (6 oz) mushrooms – make sure they are not poisonous
1 onion, skinned and chopped- 1 medium-sized mamba or other snake, cleaned and cut into 3cm/1½” pieces
- 60ml (4 tablespoons) brandy
- 45ml (3 level tablespoons) flour
- 400ml (¾ pint) red wine
- 150ml (¼ pint) guinea fowl/francolin/chicken stock
- 15ml (teaspoon) sugar
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
- Heat the oil and butter a pan and fry the bacon, mushrooms and onions for 3-4 minutes, until browned. Remove from the pan.
- Add the snake and fry for 8-10 minutes until golden brown
- Pour the brandy over the snake and light the liquid with a burning stick from the fire.
- When the flames die down, remove the snake – but not the liquid – from the pan.
- Stir the flower into the fat remaining in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Gradually add the wine and stock and bring to the boil until thickened.
- Add sugar and seasoning.
- Return the snake, bacon and mushrooms and onion to the pan
- Cover and cook slowly until tender
- Garnish with lemon, parsley and tomato and serve
